THE Messiah OF THE Christians, and the Jews; Held forth in a Discourse, between a Christian, and a Jew obstinately adhering to his strange opinions, & the forced interpretations of Scripture. Wherein, Christ the true saviour of the whole world, is described from the Prophets, and likewise that false and counterfeited Messiah of the Jews, who in vain is expected by that Nation to this very day, is discovered.  
Written first in Hebréw, but now rendered into English by PAUL ISAIAH, a Jew born, but now a converted and baptised Christian.  Psal. 78.37. For their heart was not right with him, neither were they steadfast in his Covenant. Psal. 119.80. Let my heart be sound in thy statutes, that I be not ashamed. 
London, Printed by William Hunt, 1655.   

To the Reverend and Learned Mr Richard Parr, Minister of the gospel at Camberwell.  
Paul Isaiah, a converted Jew, wisheth all happiness of body and soul, both in this life and the next, through Christ Jesus our Lord. Reverend Sir,  
THE many favours which I have received from you, as to the refreshing of body, with the outward things of this life, and to the comforting of my soul, with your most Christian instructions, and spiritual consolations, have emboldened me thus to return you my thanks, and to make public Testimony unto the world, how much I am obliged to you; and I hope I shall not do injury to your goodness, by openly publishing my gratitude, as also by craving your further countenance towards me and my poor endeavours, that this discourse between a Christian and a Jew, written by the greatly learned Sebastian Munster, may go abroad under your name.  
The discourse was first written by him in the Hebrew Tongue which is a language, wherein I know you had rather read it, then in my Englsh. But since my dear and blessed saviour, has been graciously pleased to call me into his Vineyard, I have resolved by his grace, not to be idle in it, but shall most gladly set myself to any work, whereby I may advantage the Christian cause, though it be but by knocking a pin into the Building, or by bringing a little goat's hair to furnish the Ark. They that could not offer a Lamb, were accepted if they brought only a Pigeon. And I read in the Holy gospel, where Christ commended the widow that gave into the Treasury, but two Mites.  
And as for myself, I hope I shall not be rejected, though my present work be only a Translation; wherein yet I would be very gladly employed, might I be so happy, as to be acquainted by your learned self or some others, with what books are written in Hebrew, which would be most useful in the Christian Church, by being translated into English.  
For as in former times the Gibeonites lived among my country men the Jews, as hewers of wood, and drawers of water; so I that am a Jew by birth, though now by God's grace a Christian, do desire to live and be serviceable to the Christian Church, though it be by performing the meanest offices, since King David himself thought it would no way disparage him, to be a doorkeeper in God's house.  
The Lord of his great mercy preserve the whole Church, and add daily unto it (even from among my native country men, the Jews) such as shall be saved; which is the daily prayer of him who Honours you, and begs your favourable interpretation of this his presumption.  
Reverend Sir, Your most bounden poor Servant in Christ Jesus, PAUL ISAIAH.   

To the Christian Reader.  
Christian Reader,  
And (blessed be the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath made that consanguinity between us, through the blood of his son) that I can now say, My dear Christian brother;  
AFter that it had pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb, and called me by his grace, to reveal his son in me, that I might obey that gospel, which once I disobeyed; and that I began an openly to make profession of the Christian faith, I met with continual opposition from those of my Countrymen, who have yet their minds blinded, and the veil remaining upon their hearts untaken away; having experimentally found the words of our Saviour true, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me, St Mat. 16.24.  
While I lived among my Countrymen, the Jews, and did communicate with them in the Jewish Religion, it was my great sin and unhappiness (as it was likewise theirs) to be eager against the Truth of the gospel. And though we daily read the Prophets, in the reading whereof, I have learned this excellent Lesson, since I became a Christian, viz. That we do then understand the Prophets aright, when we find Christ in them. But when I read them formerly in the Synagogues, there was such a thick mist before our eyes, and our forefather's wool had so stopped our ears, that we would neither see nor hear any thing concerning Christ; much less would we endure to hear that any of the holy Prophets had prophesied against us, as such who rejected the true Messiah, & (in him) our salvation. So that we might be truly compared to a blind man, holding a looking glass before him; wherein, though the blind man cannot see his own face, yet the standers by can easily discern whose face it is, which is represented in the glass.  
And here I could wish, it were no more with my Country men, than a mist before their eyes, and wool in their ears; but there is likewise a stone, a flint stone in their hearts; which if the Christian Magistrates among whom they live, did not keep a strict watch over them, would soon be in their hands, to stone Christ to death, were he again in their reach, and likewise to stone all such who profess his name, and expect salvation in his blood.  
And though perhaps there may not be now in England, any great numbers of professed Jews (some to my own knowledge there are, who have their synagogues, and there exercise Judaism) Yet, they who live here, as often as they are bound to use their office of Prayer (which is twice a day) so often are they bound to blaspheme Christ, and to curse him, and all true Christians which believe in him. To make evident proof whereof, I have now by me, the very forms of Prayer in Hebrew, which are enjoined them to make use of: And which I should have translated into English, but that I suppose such horrid blasphemies will do best being concealed in a language that is here known only to the Learned, then if they should be made common by being translated for every vulgar eye.  
Mean while, I have here adventured to be a Translator of a safer work, and upon better terms. It is a discourse, as thou seest, between a Jew and a Christian, written at first in Hebrew by a greatly learned Author, the Learned Munster, who was himself a Translator, but of the best work in the world, the Holy Bible.  
In this discourse thou wilt meet with many strange fancies and conceits of my Country men, the Jews, concerning that Messiah of theirs, whose coming they still expect, and expect that when he comes, he should have Wife and Children (see page 191) And that he should have a son to succeed after him in the kingdom page 195. And that themselves should then swim in an Ocean of sensual delights. For the Paradise which they look for then, is only of a Tempora●● Messiah purchasing, and for carnal Disciples to enjoy. And to say truth, these carnal Jews (who are such as the Jew in this discourse) have very large souls, as being capable of two Canaan's (could they get them) and thinking they can never flow in milk and honey enough.  
But the answers which the other speaker in this Dialogue, to wit, the Christian, gives to the absurd conceits of his obstinate opposer, and especially towards the latter end of this book, in the solid close (page 225) scourging the Jews with a rod of their own making, stabbing them with their own sword, and cutting their stiff necks with the razor of the gospel. I hope these answers will render this discourse not only delightful, but beneficial unto the Reader, and not altogether unprofitable to the Translator, who though he be poor, as to the outward blessings of this life, yet he blesseth God that has made him rich through his son, in the promises of the next.  
And however, that he may not eat the bread of idleness, or live like a drone in the hive of Christ's Church; he here humbly desires the Christian Reader to take notice, that he is ready to offer himself willing for any honest employment, whereby he may preserve himself and family, from scandalous want; but especially whereby I may be an instrument (though never so mean an one) to do service to the Church of Christ, by putting my shoulders under to bear his cross.  
I will keep thee no longer from entering into the house, then while at the threshold of it, I have begged thy Prayers for the conversion of the Jews, and that my Country men may be brought into that light of the gospel, which by God's blessings, I myself do now enjoy, Who am  
Thine in our Saviour Christ Jesus, P. I.   

A Disputation of a Christian with an obstinate Jew.  Christian. 
IS that man who comes to meet me a Jew? truly his face & form show him to be a man. I know what to do, I will salute him in Hebrew, and I shall easily know whether he be a Jew or not. If he be a Jew, he will answer in Hebrew, but if he be not a Jew, he will hold his peace, not knowing what I say. God save you, O Jew.  Jew. 
And God save you; how know you me to be a Jew, that you speak so in Hebrew with me? art thou a Jew and one of our people?  Christian. 
I am not a Jew, neither of thy people, neither am I acquainted with you; but from the form of your face, I knew you to be a Jew: For you Jews have a peculiar colour of face, different from the form and figure of other men; which thing hath often filled me with admiration, for you are black and uncomely, and not white as other men.  Jew. 
It is a wonder, if we be uncomely, why you Christians do so love our women, and they seem to you more beautiful than your own.  Christian. 
Your women indeed are more comely than your men, but you seduce them most corruptly.  Jew. 
Nay, seeing we are the elect people of God, and his inheritance, we are more comely than all the Nations of the earth; as it is written in Daniel, 
Dan. 1.15  that the countenances of the Jewish children appeared fairer and fatter in flesh than all the other children's. And Josephus the historian hath written, that Pompey did admire, and said, blessed is that Nation in which so fair young men are found; you see our people by the testimony of Scripture, are of an excellent beauty, and not uncomely as you affirm, which may be proved to you by the very fruits; for there are many fruits which in the blossom are white, and when they come to maturity, grow black: such are Damsins and Sloes: but they that appear red in the blossom, when they grow ripe, become white, as apples and peaches, and let these be spoken for example sake. The Israelites who are free from menstruous blood, have not in their original any drop of redness; but the Gentiles, who do not dread that uncleanness, nor abstain from women in the time when they ought to abstain, they in their original contract a certain redness, and for that cause their fruit, namely their children, are white. Moreover the unchaste Gentiles in the day time do generate, and do behold Images and beautiful shapes, and beget sons like them, such as we read was done by Jacob, in Genesis, where it is said, and the sheep conceived when they came to drink, &c. Gen. 30. 39  Christian. 
Your arguments do not well answer the proposed business; for Isaac being an upright man, just, and fearing God, and departing from evil, begat his first born son, read Gen. 25. 25. and not white; also David the son of Jesse was ruddy, having beautiful eyes, 1 Sam. 16.12. And whereas you add, that you are more comely than any people, that is proved false in our time, forasmuch as not one amongst a thousand is found in the Nation, who is of a comely countenance; the reason whereof know, is this, because you no longer are God's inheritance, and beloved people, but rather ye are an abomination in his eyes, and a stink in his nostrils, wherefore he hath left you, so that you go wandering up and down as sheep which are without a pastor, and have no certain dwelling in any place.  Jew. 
I see you manage your business with reproaches and rebukes, as you were wont commonly to do with us. Have you not read what Isaias wrote concerning us? Isa. 52. 14. namely, his form is estranged from men, and his countenance unlike the sons of men. We are unlike men by reason of our many tribulations and injuries which we suffer by the Gentiles, amongst whom we are dispersed.  Christian. 
You have not yet told me, why the women amongst you are more beautiful than the men, and are not so easily known as the men.  Jew. 
Because you Christians do not so much reproach them, as the men; moreover we adorn them with excellent apparel, that they may find favour in your eyes, and we by them obtain what we desire, and it may be well with us by reason of them, and our souls may live for their sakes among the Gentiles; as it is written, and they entreated Abraham well for Sarah's sake, because she was a woman of a comely countenance, Gen. 12. 16. But I am ashamed to speak with thee in public, in the sight of those that pass by and repass. If you please come with me into my chamber, and there we will speak together more concerning these things.  Christian. 
Go and I will follow you; for I have many things in my heart to speak to you, and now for a long time I have not entered the house of any Jew. What doth that white circle signify, which I see written on the walls, round about the chamber, having this inscription? tarry without thou Lilith.  Jew. 
We by this circle drive away the devil, lest he enter and hurt the infant newly borne, for our rabbis say, that Lilith is a certain Ghost, having the shape of an abortive, born of an impure birth, saving that he hath wings.  Christian. 
Thou tellest me strange things, but go on and tell me what more your Masters write concerning this thing.  Jew. 
I will. Know therefore that our wise men judge thus; that Adam the first parent begat devils, spirits, and ghosts, and you shall be constrained to be of their opinion, forasmuch as we find not those creatures in the number of the other works of creation; but many of these have a body and a soul, they are multiplied and die as other men, and again there are many spirits which are created without a body, and of these it is said; which the Lord created that he might make, which were not yet made but created; such were those Devils whose souls he had created, but did not make their bodies, because the Sabbath was at hand, and the Lord was forced to rest from all his works, which he had created that he might make; but those which are created with a body and a soul, as men proceeded from him, than came Lilith to Adam, he not knowing, for he had not a body by which he might be known, and did preserve his seed from him. But Adam was created from the beginning, and devils, and spirits, and ghosts, proceeded from him, which we draw from this. Adam was an hundred and thirty years old, and begat in his likeness and image; whereby is signified, that he begat not in his likeness and image, until the hundred and thirteth year, Gen. 5.5.  Christian. 
Declare to me better the mentioned text of Scripture, which the Lord created that he might make, because I understand it not according to your words.  Jew. 
The Scripture saith thus, which the Lord created that he might make; and not thus, which the Lord created and made, to signify that God created all things by a certain word, and was not tired nor weary, for he did not make, but created all things by a certain word out of nothing, speaking to them as to Artificers, that they should bring forth things out of themselves; as when he said, let the earth bring forth, let the waters bring forth; therefore the Scripture saith, which the LORD created that he might make, that is, commit to others that they might make them; but he did determine, and told how all things should be made. After this sort is the creation of Devils, who were created in the even of the sabbath, as our wise men of good memory have recorded. The holy day shone upon them, and their making was not altogether finished, but were sent into the air imperfect, partly communicating with man, and partly with Angels: They eat and drink, they increase in offspring as men, they fly through the air, they ascend and steal away things within a garment; and for the most part their speeches are lies, neither dare they appear in the sight of God, seeing it is written, the wicked shall not dwell with thee; and when it is said in Genesis, Gen. 36. 24. that Anas found jemim in the desert, he would signify Devils, wherefore jemim is writ without jod, to signify that the Devils were left imperfect after the six days of creation, for the holy day of the Sabbath began to enter, and hence it is that they shun the Sabbath, as it is written in Exodus, Exod. 12. 42. it is a night of observations to you, to wit, that you should beware of those injurious spirits; on the Sabbath no devil, or other evil assault need be feared, for they all fly to the dark mountains, neither do they appear all the Sabbath day, because that is the holy day, and they are unclean; but when the Sabbath is ended, they return to fall upon men and hurt them; and therefore we say; let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us, Psal. 90. 17. which psalm is against Devils, and hath that commendation, that by it we may put to flight those noxious spirits, who are called the snares of the sons of men; as it is written, Psal. 91. 10. evil shall not be devised against thee, neither shall the rod approach thy Tabernacle, and because those Devils were made of Adam the first parent, in those hundred and thirty years wherein he was sequestered from his wife, being made I say of his seed, therefore they are called the snares and plagues of men, and the mentioned psalm, and the 91 psalm, doth contain a hundred and thirty sayings with this verse, with length of days thou shalt satisfy him, &c. and Adam left this calamity to his posterity, as it were by right of inheritance, that when at night they had felt the flux of nature, from thence Devils, hurtful and malicious, to men are born: Therefore the Law saith, thou shalt beware of every evil thing, to wit, lest man in the day time take in any spirits, which in the night may cast him into uncleanness, by Belial's means, who is called an evil eye, and he appeareth sometimes in the shape of a woman, & is also called Lilith, that is a night-ghost. Moreover, we must observe, that those fauns who are so engendered of the seed of man, when the man dies, who is their father, they all meet together, to touch and defile him; and therefore our wise men have commanded us to make circles about the man, and remember certain words, whereby they are put to flight, and dare not enter the circle, to touch the funeral. Moreover they have taught us to make seven circles, to drive away seven troops of hurtful angels which there met together, which they gather from hence, because it is written, 
Job 5. 19  Job 5.19. in six troubles he shall deliver thee, and in the seventh, evil shall not touch thee. evil, that is Belial; for they fly away from those circles; wherefore those circles must be made by the grave, that presently after the writing of them, they may put in the carcase into the grave, and no delay at all be made in letting down the coffin, lest any evil touch it.  Christian. 
This is great folly in you Jews, yea madness of heart, when you affirm, that God left any creature unperfect or uncomplete, seeing it is written in the work of creation, The Heaven and the Earth were finished, and all the host of them, Gen. 2.2. 
Gen. 2.2.  and in another place it is said, The work of the Creator is perfect, Deut. 32. 4: 
Deu. 32.4  if that be true, how dare you say, God made any work imperfect? do you think the hand of the Lord is shortened, that he cannot finish any thing, or that he wants power that he cannot bring to an end any certain work? But verily your tongue speaks a lie, and your mouth doth meditate perverseness, it conceives labour, and bringeth forth vanity; you err after the same manner in the whole heaven, when you say, the Moon from the beginning was equal with the Sun. But I desire to hear you tell me, what your wise men write of this matter.  Jew. 
The Scripture saith thus, 
Gen. 1. ●6  the Lord made two great lights; and afterwards it saith, a greater light, and a lesser light, where we must note, that the lights from the beginning, were equal in brightness, but God lessened one; and the reason why it was diminished in its light, was pride, and unjust accusation, or complaint; for it is written, evil shall not dwell with thee; 
Psa● 101.7  and he that telleth lies shall not tarry in thy sight. Truly there is nothing more hateful before God, than an unjust complaint: As it is written, 
Psa. 101.5  he that slanders his neighbour in secret, him will I destroy, and who hath eyes lifted up, and a proud heart, him I cannot behold; and because the moon did complain of her fellow, God humbled her; you ask me how she complained; I'll tell you; see, saith she, it is not meet that it should be said of thee, that thou couldst not make divers sons: Then saith God to her; go thou and be less in light, therefore the Moon was confounded, and diminished in light for her sin; and when he showed himself merciful to her, and gave the opening of the mouth to the penitent, and to those that converted themselves from their whole heart to him, she was received into favour. Our wise men being moved by this, have writ; that man should never cease to make repentance, and should not say, my iniquity is greater than can be remitted, but if he be converted, the Lord receives him; as it is written, the Lord desires not the death of a sinner, Ezek. 33.11.  Christian. 
Thou hast done well in concluding that repentance is shadowed out by the diminishing of the moon, for the story thou hast told me is a parable, and not the truth, as many of you have falsely thought; for the moon hath not life, soul, or spirit, whereby she might love or hate, but God hath created it from the beginning, a lesser light to rule the night, and hath not diminished it, as you falsely assert. But hear what the Prophet saith; thus saith the Lord, Ier. 10. 2. learn not according to the way of the Gentiles, and be not afraid of the signs of heaven, as the Gentiles fear them. Behold, the Gentiles believed such things, who knew not the living God. Moreover it is not written that the Moon did envy the Sun, and did desire to rule in the world: why therefore do you believe such things, which the Philosophers never thought? who affirm that the moon hath no light of herself, but receives her brightness from the Sun, as do all the stars, for the sun alone is light of itself; and hence it is, that the Moon and stars have less light than the Sun, which may easily be demonstrated from the eclipse of the moon, when the earth hinders the beams of the sun from touching the body of the moon; and if you desire to hear, I'll tell you in short the cause of the eclipse of the Moon. Forasmuch as the moon of itself hath no light, but receives its splendour from the Sun; know, that these two lights always in the middle of the Month, do stand one against another, and though the earth be in the middle, yet because the body of the Moon for the most part doth bow down either towards the north, or towards the south, the shadow of the earth cannot hinder the beams of the sun from touching & enlightening the Moon. But when the moon in the time of the opposition is in the point of the head of the Dragon, or near, to wit, twelve degrees lower, the Moon is darkened, sometimes wholly, sometimes in part, according as it is more or less distant from the mentioned head, which I will not here discuss in many words; therefore I will turn myself to another thing. You say that the Jews shall celebrate a great Feast in the latter times, in which they shall eat one common ox, which in the mean while is fed in a certain great mountain, and Leviathan, that is a great fish salted from the beginning of the world, and kept for the just, and they shall drink wine from the first six days reserved together with the grapes; I desire to know from you if this be true.  Jew. 
It is true, our wise men speak of the Leviathan, that he was slain immediately after the first six days; 
Gen. 1.21.  for the scripture saith, that God created great whales, and without doubt there was two of them, but God slew the one, namely the female, and did season it with salt, and reserves it for the just. This we gather from hence, because the Text hath tanimin with one (jod) and not with two; and peradventure for this cause it is not written in the fifth day, and it so came to pass, as in the other two days, because that existence was unperfect, by reason of the killing the of female, which doth not want a mystery. It is moreover written in Isaiah, 
Isa. 27.1.  In that day the Lord with his sore and great, and strong sword, shall punish Leviathan the piercing Serpent, even Leviathan that crooked Serpent, and he shall slay the Dragon that is in the sea. You see the Scripture speaks of one Whale; neither was it God's will, that he by bringing forth young, should multiply himself in the sea, for otherways no man could go to sea without danger. Again, it is written in the 104 psalm 26. 
Ps. 104.26  There is that Leviathan, whom thou hast made to play therein, the Prophet saith that in the singular number, and masculine gender, therefore the female was killed, especially seeing it is manifest, that at the first God created male and female: concerning the Feast, it is written, 
Job 40. 1.  canst thou draw out Leviathan with an hook, or his tongue with a cord which thou lettest down? he who made him, can make his sword to approach unto him, &c. And it is written, the companions shall prepare him for a banquet, and the Merchants shall divide him amongst them. Moreover God planted a Garden of pleasure. And again it is written, 
Isa. 60.21  The branch of my plantations shall be the work of my hands, that I may be glorified, signifying a Garden of the best fruits: And I pray you who shall eat these? truly now they are eat by none, but are reserved for the just, against the time to come.  Christ. 
You make me laugh when you bring Scripture authorities, and interpret them according to your folly, & understanding them according to the letter, when notwithstanding they are Metaphors. It is true, God created great Whales, but 'tis false that he presently slew the female, forsomuch as at this day, great Whales are found in the sea, that is, the greatest fishes that devour the lesser; therefore powerful Kings are compared to Whales, who afflict and oppress the poor, but the Lord can easily slay them, although in strength they be not inferior to the Whales of the sea, this is the mind of Ezekiel. 
Eze. 32.2.  Moreover, whereas you assert, one of the Whales was slain by God, you are constrained to say, Jonas was swallowed up by one, seeing there was not another in the sea. But hear what the Prophet writes of himself, and the Lord prepared a great fish to devour Jonah. The Lord brought not a great fish, or that Whale from the end of the world, which was left in the beginning of the world, but that Whale which by providence was found in that sea; this the Lord did ordain to swallow up Jonah. 
Ion. 1.17.  And if you object, a Whale or Leviathan, and a great fish, are unlike; I answer, that is not true, seeing the rabbis do expound the word tannim for a great fish, do you think that fish was a little one, which swallowed up Jonah, and kept him alive three days and three nights in his belly? What you bring out of the psalms, 
Psal. 104. 26.  I shortly avoid thus; there the singular number is taken for the plural, which you know is frequent in the Hebrew, as, a man, ox, sheep, &c. Moreover, you deprave that place brought out of Job, for the Lord doth not say there, the companions shall eat the Leviathan: but he speaks after this manner; shall the companions and associates make a banquet of him, or shall the Merchants divide him amongst them? after the manner of those who buy fishes, and divide them into parts, and that place may have this interpretation: Will the companions dig a pit to draw him thither out of the sea by their hissing, and take him? do you see how unhappily the Fathers have understood and expounded that place? this also is very false, and a great error amongst you, that the just in the world to come, shall eat temporal food, and corporal bread; the flesh of beasts and fish, herbs, and corn of which bread is made, which we need in this life, where we grow and do beget an offspring, and do renew that which is appaired in our body by the adjection of meat. But in the world to come and resurrection of the dead, it is far otherways with us; for then man shall be by the resurrection, a new creature, and renewed upon their former bones, like that vision in Ezekiel, 
Eze. 37.6  when the Lord God did raise up his people, saying, I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and will cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall live. Wherefore your rabbis have said in the secrets of the Law, that there is in the neibe, a very stiff bone, which being put in the fire, is not hurt by it, and being put into the ground, doth not putrify, and they affirm the resurrection of the body doth increase by that. So also it is in Genesis, 
Gen. 2.22  and the Lord made● made I say upon the bone, sinews, flesh and skin, and breathed into her the breath of life and brought her to Adam, tha● by this mystery he might foreshow, although man shoul● die, yet he should rise in the same body, and should be mad● a building of nerves, bones, and flesh joined together, which should not be dissolved; wherefore Adam called her bone of my bone, 
Gen: 2.23  because the resurrection of man should be in his first bones of eternal life. Then the just no longer shall eat corporal bread, which doth not free from death, neither drink wine which the earth doth bring forth, but shall eat the bread of Angels, that is, as the just shall live in the spirit as Angels; so they shall eat food which shall not putrify nor perish, neither shall the elect of God, 
Isa. 60.19  want any longer the light of the Sun by day, neither shall the moon give them light by night; but the Lord shall be a perpetual light to them, and their God shall be their glory, and they shall then eat spiritual fruits, because eye hath not seen those things which God will do for them who wait upon him. See Isaiah concerning this place, 
Isa. 64.4.  in the 60 chap. above mentioned, & thou shalt find many things in the text, which are not to be understood according to the bare sense of the letter, as you erroneously do for the most part, but in spirit and in truth; if in the future world, according to your error, there were bodily eating, there should be also death, and consequently another resurrection, which is false, and a great error; 
1 Cor. 15. 44.  for it is sown in this world a mortal body, and shall rise in the resurrection of the just, immortal, for they shall then be as the Angels of God which are in heaven, and shall never die. And to conclude, you now see, that those men are witless, who say that the just in the future world shall eat a common ox, and that salted Whale, and shall drink wine which paradise brought forth, seeing that the just in the future world, shall not live in the earth, but in the heavens with God. 
Lu● 14.15.  Blessed is the man who shall eat bread in the kingdom of God. But I will propound another question to you, and I desire you to answer me to it. The question is this, why do not you Jews believe in in our Messiah, seeing that in him all the prophecies are fulfilled, which are written concerning him in the Law and the Prophets; but do make your faces more hard than a rock, 
Ier. 5.3.  yea though with open eyes you see there is no salvation in the earth for the people, who walk in darkness, and see no light?  Jew. 
If I would answer, peradventure you would be displeased, but who, being so provoked can refrain speaking, 
Psa. 69 9  especially seeing the zeal of the house of the Lord hath eaten me up, and the reproaches of them who reproach God are fallen upon me. You ask why we believe not in the Messiah, neither receive him as you do: to which I answer you thus: In your Christ the words of the Prophets are not fulfilled, which they did foretell concerning the Messiah, neither are the mysteries of the Law fulfilled; although we know the time of his coming is not far off; and therefore through all generations, they which are of the seed of David with great desire do expect in their days the coming of salvation, and the time of the King Messiah.  Christian. 
And why, I pray you, doth that your Messiah so long delay his coming to deliver you out of your tribulations in which you are? or how can GOD himself see for this so long time, your calamity which you suffer in this captivity, and doth not deliver you out of your troubles, executing judgement upon your enemies? why doth he suffer you so to wander through the world, as sheep which have no shepherd? Consider, that you have not a certain and constant dwelling place. I desire to know the reason, why God hath cast you from him so many years, nor doth at any time remember you for your good: For when of old he punished your fathers for their sins, when they were converted, and did confess, and prayed unto him in their banishment, he forthwith delivered them, and sent them a deliverer, why doth he not the same in this time of your grievous captivity?  Jew. 
Know you not that his wisdom and his counsels are not to be searched into, which do so far exceed our apprehensions? as it is written, 
Psal. 66.5  The Lord is terrible in his counsel towards the sons of men; we know not, neither can we apprehend his wisdom and prudence, 
Isa. 40.13.  or find it out, and know it, but he knows what he doth. 
Psal. 36.9   Christian. 
I wonder at this your answer, when you say, you know not the cause why God hath cast you out of his presence, & surely it must needs be for some great sin, such as you never committed from the beginning of the world, you, or your fathers, whatsoever it is. Furthermore, when you say the coming of the Messiah is nigh, tell me I pray, what that is, which is recited in the Talmud. When Rabbi Joshua the son of Levi did ask Elias when the Messiah would come, and where is he? he answered, at Rome amongst the weak; and going thither he found him. If he was then at Rome, doubtless he is come and borne already, and ye expect him in vain.  Jew. 
The Messiah is not yet come, but he was borne in the time of the destruction of the Temple, which the book Haggadoth, that is, the book of insinuations or denunciations doth show.  Christian. 
If he was borne in the time of the desolation, from which time almost a thousand and five hundred years are now past, and at this day he is not yet come, when I pray you, or how will he come, seeing that it is not allowed in nature, for any man to live a thousand and five hundred years.  Jew. 
You know the first men lived a long time, and that to the flood, as some came almost to the thousandth year; 
Gen. 5.27  but Elias and Enoch did live much longer, whom God kept alive, and who live to this very day; so the Messiah being borne along time before, is yet preserved in life.  Christian. 
Where therefore and in what place is he at this day? is he yet at Rome?  Jew. 
It may easily be demonstrated from scripture, where he is. Consider, the first Adam in his first estate was in the earthly paradise, but because of his sin, he was cast forth from thence, as saith the Scripture, 
Gen. 3.24  God sent him out of the garden of pleasure. It follows therefore, that he who was free from the punishment of Adam should be in paradise; so our wise men have said, in the book of denunciations.  Christian. 
I do not well understand what you would signify by the word denunciations, therefore before you proceed, declare that word to me.  Jew. 
Know therefore, with us are three kinds of books, one kind of books we call the 24. which commonly are called the Bible, and on these we believe firmly, and with a perfect faith, because they were written by the Prophets, and other godly men, to whom the Lord made known his will, and did reveal mysteries. Another kind is called the Talmud, and is an Exposition or explanation o● the precepts of the Law; fo● there are in the Law of Moses 613 precepts, and all these are explained in the Talmud; i● which book we also believe as in an exposition of precepts, which are in the hands of our rabbis, who received it from their Fathers, and their Fathers received it from the Prophets, and they received it from God. Thirdly, we have a kind of books, which is called Medras, which signifies an inquisition or discussion of matters, and we commonly interpret it, a common opinion; for there what every man thought, and what seemed right to him, he wrote down; wherefore they which believe these writings, do well, and he that doth not believe them, wrongs not himself. Some wise men say, and have also left it in writing to us, that the Messiah shall not be borne, until the time of our deliverance is come, or shall draw nigh, that he may bring us out of that captivity; and I rather assent to this opinion, than their judgement, who say the Messiah is borne long ago, namely, in the time of the of the desolation of the Temple, and we call the mentioned inquisition by another name, Haggada, that is, a denunciation; for it is nothing else but a certain denunciation, whereby one man signifies any thing to another.  Christian. 
Is the Messiah always at Rome, according to their opinion, who thought he was at Rome?  Jew. 
He is not always at Rome, but at that time he was seen there; for Elias said to Rabbi Joshua the son of Levi, that at that time he should find him there, and he might be seen for a certain cause which is signified in Haggadoth, but which I mean not to reveal to you, nor to any other Christian, forasmuch as I know, our words are an abomination in your eyes, and therefore we write such mysteries in the Tables of our heart.  Christian. 
Disclose to me I pray you, what he did at Rome, or what he will do these, and why he will rather go thither than to another place; and do not conceal it from me.  Jew. 
Because you have so earnestly entreated me, I will tell you, but see you disclose it not to others, for you know how they are wont to deride us, when they have heard our secrets. Haggada saith, the Messiah remains at Rome, until he destroy it, as we read concerning Moses our lawgiver who was bred up in the house of Pharaoh, until at length he took vengeance of him, 
Exo. 14. 28.  and drowned all his people in the sea and he came not presently after he was borne, and delivered Israel, but after many years, when the Lord God gave him command, than he came and said to Pharaoh; Thus saith the Lord, let my people go that they may serve me. 
Exo. 7: 16  So the Messiah when the fullness of time is come, shall come to the Pope by the command of God, and shall say to him, let my people go that they may serve me, than I say the Messiah shall be said to have come, and till that time, he is not said to be come: But neither is the Messiah called, as David the King was not King, or anointed the same day wherein he was borne, but after that Samuel had anointed him by the commandment of God, then was he anointed King, 
1 Sa. 16.13  So when Elias hath anointed the Messiah by the commandment of God, then shall he be the Messiah, and shall come; these things are out of Haggada.  Christian. 
You tell me strange things, but all your words seem to be more like a lie than truth, for the Prophets of the Lord have taught far otherways; neither are the words of Haggada, true in this, when it will compare Moses to Christ, and the Egyptian captivity, to the captivity of this time. For the Israelites in Egypt, did serve only Pharaoh; for it is thus written; Moses said to Pharaoh, let my people go, 
Exo. 7.16.  &c. for he alone, without another King, had the government over Israel, and when he would not let them go, God with a strong hand, and a stretched out arm, and with great judgement, brought them forth. 
Exo. 13.9.  But in the present captivity, the Jews are not only under the power of the Pope, but are dispersed and scattered into the four parts of the world; seeing it is so, how can the Pope by his power and authority let them go, who are not at all found under his dominion? Furthermore Moses delayed not after his nativity, but fourscore years, after which he delivered Israel; 
Exod. 7.7  and when I turn myself to the words of the Thalmud, which saith, the Messiah is born, but hitherto hath delayed his coming, now a thousand and five hundred years; I easily conclude, that the words of the Thalmud are false, or the first comparison foolish. I would have you at least to take this to heart, this very long captivity, which hath no end or bound, nor any consolation, all which your fathers had in the captivity of Babel, yea after that they offended God by their manifold abominations, worshipping Idols, and profaning the Sabbath, and other solemnities, and turning away from all the commandments of God, proclaimed by Moses; & when they did these things, God sent the Prophets to them, to dehort them, and he reproved them by manifold rebukes, the Prophets telling them, unless they did break off, they should be carried out of their own land, 
Ier. 16.13.  and should fall into the hands of their enemies. Lo, 
Ier. 12.7.  you see, that even in the worst times, they had Prophets who did threaten them, and again gave them words of comfort, speaking to their hearts, even in that hour when they committed the evil; likewise in the hour wherein they went into banishment out of their own land, the Prophets came to them and comforted them, and the Lord revealed to them the end of their captivity by the Prophet Jeremiah, 
Ier. 25.11  and they were in the captivity but seventy years; but in the modern captivity, there is not a Prophet, there is no comforting vision, but the captivity daily becomes more grievous, and all the bounds of the captivity, which the wise men have set, are past a long time ago, and we are certain, the word of our Creator shall remain, 
Psal. 119. 89.  & stands firm to eternity, neither shall be accomplished from good into evil, but from evil into good, as it appears concerning Egypt, when he began to count the end of that captivity from the nativity of Isaac. 
Exo. 12. 40.  The same appears concerning the Ninevites, 
Gen. 15. 13.  who when they had committed all wickedness, so soon as they repented of the evils, 
Ion. 3.10.  God was merciful to them. But in this your captivity, you indeed do observe the Sabbath and solemnities, and other commandments of God, which your fathers before the Babylonish captivity, and in the captivity did not keep, when they had altogether forgot the Law of Moses: but notwithstanding all this, when the time of seventy years was fulfilled, they were delivered. But is it not written, 
Is. 56.1,2.  keep ye judgement and do justice, for my salvation is near to come, and my righteousness to be revealed? blessed is the man that doth this, and the son of man that layeth hold on it, keeping the Sabbath from polluting it. From this we gather, when the Israelites do keep the Sabbath, and make repentance, they are not banished from their own land. But in the modern captivity the Jews keep the Sabbath, and other precepts of God, they make repentance, they pray, and give alms, why therefore doth not the Messiah come? see how often they have made a great and solemn repentance with their whole heart, and whole soul, and all their strength, that the end of their captivity might be revealed to them, but their prayer was not heard, they did that, especially in the 5262 year of the world, which was the 1502 year of Christ, when all the Jews made a public repentance through all their habitations, in all the earth, and through the whole captivity, and that almost for a whole year, both young men and old men, women and children, such a repentance as was never heard of in the foregoing ages, and they did it for the coming of the Messiah, but all in vain; for there was nothing revealed to them, neither token, or any sign; not to speak of any greater thing, and truly that thing is a great wonder, a hissing, and clapping of hands to all who hear it, that nothing doth help them, not law, nor repentance, not prayer, neither any alms, all which they do daily; is not this a manifest sign, that the Messiah is already come? but because you refuse to believe this word, the keeping of the Law, and the works of your hands are nothing. Hence we may conclude thus; if for repentance your freedom shall come, and the gathering together of your scattering, ye shall never be redeemed, forsomuch as you have always been a rebellious people, and of a stiff neck. Moreover, you see and know, how vain the words of Rabbi are, who are here doubtful, and perplexed, and disagreeing amongst themselves: One hath said, the Messiah shall not come, but in a generation which is wholly righteous, or in a generation which is wholly wicked, and so thought Rabbi Johanan the son of Lacae, proving it thus: In a generation which is wholly guilty, because it is thus written, 
Isa. 59.16.  and he saw there was no man, and he wondered that there was no intercessor, therefore his arm brought salvation unto him, and his righteousness it sustained him. Also in a generation which is wholly clean, because it is thus written, 
Isa. 60.21  and all thy people shall be just, they shall possess the earth for ever. Also Rabbi Eleeser saith, if the Israelites shall make repentance, they shall immediately be redeemed, seeing it is written, 
Ier. 3.14.  turn or make repentance, O backsliding children, to which Rabbi Joshua answers thus, was it not said, 
Isa. 5213.  you have sold yourselves for nought in your idolatry, and shall be redeemed without money, namely, by repentance, and good works? Hence we gather, that the rabbis themselves were doubtful, whether the congregation of the captivity should be made by repentance or not, and we now already see, repentance hath profited you nothing; therefore all the words of the rabbis which they speak concerning the modern captivity, are mere lies and errors, and that verse cited out of Isa. he saw there was no man, 
Isa. 59.16  &c. doth justly agree with Jesus our Saviour, in the hour of his passion, who saw none to repent; and for this cause it is rightly said, repent ye backsliding children, as if he should say, if they shall repent over this thing, and yet receive him, they shall immediately be delivered: and this is the true repentance, and the good works which ye should do, to remove the stumbling block out of your hearts, and believe in the living God, and in the Messiah, who is sent for salvation both to you and to us; then shall be fulfilled this saying of Scripture, 
Isa. 40.31  they that wait upon the Lord, shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as Eagles, they shall run and not be weary, &c. for in the time when the Jews shall receive unto themselves the Messiah of the Lord, they shall be called the waiters upon the Lord, and he shall give them power and strength, and every good thing as from the beginning, whereupon it is added, than they shall renew their strength, they mount up with wings as Eagles, and they shall be renewed like an Eagle, which if he live to the tenth year, he ascends aloft to the face of the Heaven, until he approach to the heat of the fire, and then casts himself through the exceeding heat into the sea, and being made naked, is renewed, and other feathers will grow in him. I desire you to hear me again what Haggai saith concerning the coming of Christ, Hag. 2.6. to the 10. 
Hag. 2.6. to the 10.  For thus saith the Lord of Hosts, yet once it is a little while, and I will shake the Heavens and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land, and I will shake all Nations, and the desire of all Nations shall come, and I will fill this house with glory, saith the Lord of Hosts; the silver and the gold is mine, saith the Lord of Hosts. The glory of this house shall be greater than of the former, saith the Lord of Hosts, and in this place will I give peace saith the Lord of Hosts. Behold, the Prophet saith, yet a little while; but if the Messiah were not yet come, the Prophet had spoke false, seeing from the time of the Prophet, to our times, above two thousand years are past. He saith moreover, the glory of this latter house, shall be greater than of the first; but what was that great glory, saving that our Messiah did appear in that second Temple, doing there signs and wonders, such as were never done in the whole world; he also taught the people, and showed them the way to eternal life.  Jew. 
Our Masters do speak otherways here, namely, that the second house is therefore called the greater, because it stood 10 years longer; for the first house stood 110 years, but the second stood 120.  Christian. 
This answer is empty and foolish; for not for so little time the second could be said to be greater, since that in all other things, it was less than the first house: For as it is said, 
Ezr. 3.12  many of the Priests and Levites, of the chief fathers and Elders of the people, who saw the first house, when the foundations of the second house were laid, and they standing by, saw it, they wept with a great voice, because that second house was as nothing in respect of the first, because the vessels of the first house were of gold, but of the second they were of brass. And moreover, in the second house were wanting ten signs, which were done in the first sanctuary to the Fathers, as the rabbis write. 1. A woman did not make an aborsement, by reason of the smell of the sanctified flesh: 2. The holy flesh did not stink or was corrupt. 3. A fly was never seen where the sacrifices were slain. 4. The High Priest had no nightly uncleanness in the time of the solemn sacrifice. 5. The rain did not quench the fire by the holy place, burning continually in the pile of wood. 6. The wind did not scatter the pillar of smoke, ascending straight towards heaven. 7. Mouldines or corruption was not found in the pot of Manna, in the two loaves, and in the show bread. 8. They stood upright in the Temple, and when they bowed down to worship, they had room enough. 9 A Serpent, or a scorpion did never hurt in the city Jerusalem. 10. Neither did ever any man say to his fellow, my place is so straight, that I cannot remain in Jerusalem. Moreover, five other things were in the first Temple, which were not in the second; namely these; the ark, with the propitiatory, and the cherubims, fire sent from heaven, the holy spirit, urim and Thummim, that is, certain holy mysteries on the breastplate of the chief Priest. 
1 King. 8. 7.  You see now, that the second house was not greater than the first, because of the 10 years. I will also add this, that your rabbis speak not the truth, when they say, that they shall build a third Temple in the Land of Israel, and then the Messiah shall come, seeing the Prophet doth speak plainly here, this is the last house, showing as it were by his finger, the house which was then built, and was then standing; that house I say shall be in greater glory than the former. But I desire to know from whence you Jews have it, that there shall be a third Temple.  Jew. 
I will tell you. Our wise men of good memory say, that Abraham called that place a mountain, but Isaac called it a field, and Jacob a house; for, because Jacob about night came to that place, the holiness and dignity of that place was revealed to him, therefore these three fathers did foreshow, three Temples to be in Israel, two to be destroyed, and one to remain for ever. Abraham called that place a mountain, 
〈◊〉. 22.  he saith, in the mountain the Lord shall be seen. This is the mountain of desolation, concerning which they write in the Medras, or narration of the psalms, 
Psal. 3.4.  with my voice will I cry unto the Lord, namely, when as yet the temple stood firm; but when that is destroyed, from whence doth he answer? he adds, the Lord hath heard me from his holy mountain. Moreover, that the second house was to be destroyed they prove from this, because Isaac called that place a field, as it is written, 
Gen. 24● 63.  Isaac went forth to pray in the field. 
Ier. 26. 18  And Jeremiah saith, Zion shall be ploughed as a field. Moreover, the third Temple, which shall never be destroyed, 
Gen. 28. 17.  Jacob called the house of the Lord God; and concerning that the Prophet writes, the glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former. 
Hag. 2. 9●  And again it is written, I will be to her saith the Lord, 
Zach. 2.5  a wall of fire round about, and the glory in the midst of her, 
Ex. 15.17  and Exo. 15.17. The sanctuary of the Lord which thy hands have established. The two first houses were made with the hands of men, therefore they had no stability, according to that, 
Ps. 127.1.  in vain do they labour who build it; therefore Jacob called that temple a house that should always endure, and not as others, a mountain, a field, and therefore he presently subjoins, 
Gen. 28. 17. Ier. 31.38  this is no other but the house of God. And Jeremiah saith, behold the days come saith the Lord, and the City shall be built to the Lord, &c. and at length concluding, he adds, it shall not be plucked up, nor thrown down any more for ever. And Isa. saith, 
Isa. 2.2.  it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established in the top of the mountains. This is the mountain of the Lord which Abraham did show, and shall be exalted above the hills, alluding to Isaac, who called it a field; but by that which is added, the mountain of the house of God; he would signify the house of Jacob, of which he saith in another place, 
Isa. 2.3.  Come ye and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob, which shall remain firm. Moreover, the Scripture in Genesis hath showed to us these 3 houses, when it thrice makes mention of the place, where the lodging of Jacob is described, in the place of the house of God; for you find it there, 
Gen. 28. 11  that Jacob came to the place, took the stones of the place, and slept in that place; he happened into that place, when the Sun was set, whereby was signified the destruction of the first house. He gathered the stones of the place, being scattered in the destruction of the first Temple, and laid them under his head, being to rest upon them all night, whereby is signified the building of the second Temple, which should not continue long; but because he slept quietly there, a third Temple was also signified, in which they being without strength, shall again be refreshed, and shall rest in their beds, and every man shall sit under his own vine, and under his own figtree, without all fear. 
Mich. 4.4   Christian. 
I can hear you no longer in this business, you so much wrest yourself, and the Scripture of God, and do sharpen your wit to pervert the word of God; for this exposition which you have brought, is unmeete, and very unfit for the purpose, being upheld by no foundation, especially forsomuch as the Prophet hath spoke so plainly; 
Hag. 2.9.  that latter house, as if he should say, that house which you see with your eyes, that last shall be in greater glory than the first, if he had said the latter house, and had not added that, you might have some appearing reason, although that place which you bring concerning the three fathers, is not agreeable to our purpose; therefore we find a first and a second house, but we find not a third.  Jew. 
What you write concerning the first and second house, is this; if the Israelites had not sinned, they should not have had but the first Temple, and it should have been worthy to be builded by the hand of God, according to that, Thy hands have established the sanctuary of the Lord; 
Ex. 15.17  but because they sinned, they were the cause why that Temple was built by the hands of men, as also the second; and hence it is that they had no firmness, according to that, they labour in vain who build it, 
Ps. 127.1.  and the Lord himself shall by himself build Jerusalem, and fulfil that Scripture, thy hands have established the sanctuary of the Lord: and that, I will be to thee a fiery wall round about thee, and for a glory in the midst of thee. 
Zech. 2.5.  And then also shall the saying of our Prophet be confirmed, 
Hag. 2.9.  the glory of this latter house, shall be greater than of the first, and he hath not said, of the second, than of the first.  Christian. 
You multiply words, and cite many places of Scripture, but beside the purpose; if sins were the cause of the desolation of the first and second Temple, the third Temple which you expect, shall never be built, because you sin without ceasing, and ye say, that because of your sins, the Messiah defers his coming: If this be true, this your third Temple shall never be built, which you say shall be, and shall be built by the hands of God: whereof notwithstanding, neither the Scripture nor the Prophets do make mention, but ye out of your own brain have invented this opinion, to seduce the simple.  Jew. 
If the truth doth not stand for us, how I pray was that latter house in greater glory than the former?  Christian. 
I will tell you, and I have told you already; for this cause the second house was greater than the first, because the Lord of the Temple came into his Temple, as the Prophet Malachi did Prophecy. 
Mal. 3.1.  Behold, I send my angel, and he shall prepare the way before my face, and the Lord shall suddenly come to his Temple, whom ye seek, and the angel of the Testament, whom ye desire: behold, he cometh saith the Lord of Hosts. This prophecy without all denial, doth agree with the King Messiah, who hath come, and was seen of men, as I showed above even now.  Jew. 
I said above, there are some amongst our rabbis, who believed the Messiah was born in the desolation of the second Temple, but was not yet come, because when he shall come, he shall do great signs, and his heart shall be exalted in the ways of the Lord, but he shall come and command the Pope, and all the Kings of the people, saying, let the people of the Lord go to serve him; and then he shall do signs before the rebellious, neither shall he fear them, and shall remain in the City of Rome, until he destroy it, and then he shall bring forth the people of God.  Christian. 
You have not yet told me the reason, why your Messiah doth so long delay, and defer his coming.  Jew. 
I have told you already, that I know not; but our rabbis say, that Jerusalem was wasted for no other cause, but because they did break the Sabbath, and for the transgression of the Sabbath, they were driven out of their own land into banishment, and the chief good which at this day is found amongst our banished, is the keeping of the Sabbath, as it is written, 
Is. 56.1,2.  thus saith the Lord, keep ye judgement and do justice, for my salvation is near to come, and my righteousness to be revealed. Blessed is the man that doth this, and the son of man that layeth hold on it, that keepeth the Sabbath from polluting it. He saith, my salvation is near to come, if you make your ways good, departing from evil; for repentance withholds the coming of the Messiah; and if all the Israelites did fear God, his salvation would be near to them: for redemption depends upon repentance; as it is written, 
Ier. 29. 13,14.  and the Lord thy God will turn thy captivity, if thou wilt turn to the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with thy whole soul. And again he saith, 
Isa. 56.2.  blessed is the man which doth this, namely, keeping the Sabbath, for that is worthy to be separated from other days, in meat and drink, and more comely apparel, and this as to the body; but concerning the soul, that ought to be emptied of all the businesses of this world.  Christian. 
I have said above, if the people dispersed in the captivity must be gathered together by repentance, ye shall never be delivered, seeing that you are always a rebellious people, and of a stiff neck.  Jew. 
Hear what Ezechiel saith, 
Ezek. 36. 22.  I will do it not for your sakes, O house of Israel, &c. and he saith, I will bring you out from amongst the people, &c. And again he saith in the Law, I will remember them for my first covenant, 
Le. 26.42  &c. From this we think, that for the goodness of God, and righteousness of the Fathers, and not for our own righteousness, we shall come out of captivity. We see also how the rabbis have been perplexed here, whether they should come out of captivity by repentance or not. Wherefore Rabbi Johanan saith, that the son of David shall not come, but in a generation which is wholly just, or in a generation which is wholly guilty of sin. And Rabbi Eleiser saith, if the Israelites shall make repentance, they shall immediately be delivered, seeing it is written, 
Ier. 3. 14.  return ye backsliding children. To which Rabbi Joshua doth answer; 
Isa. 52.3.  was it not now said, ye are sold for nought, &c. Here we see, that our fathers were doubtful, whether we should be delivered from banishment by repentance or not, because the sayings of Scripture do seem to disagree amongst themselves, which difference shall be thus composed; that many Israelites shall be converted by repentance, after that they have seen the signs of deliverance; and therefore it is said, 
Isa. 59.16.  he saw that there was not a man that did repent, until he saw the beginning of the salvation: and notwithstanding, some remaining wicked and rebellious, shall come out with the multitude of repenting Israelites, and shall die in the journey, and shall not enter into the Land of Israel.  Christian. 
Tell me I pray you, what signs shall be in the gathering together of your dispersion.  Jew. 
The first sign of our salvation, shall be this: That the peo- of this world shall fall, and we shall rise, and the people shall be as it were bound before our face, that no man dare lift a hand or foot, unless he first fall down and humble himself before our presence: And the reason of this is, although the judgements of God have come upon us, yet we cease not to follow him, knowing that his judgements are good; and when his judgements do come into the earth, than the inhabitants of the world are instructed, and learn to do justice, 
Isa. 26.9.  for because of them the world stands. If we remembered the name of other gods amongst our enemies, under whom we live, we might be delivered from their oppression, & might be in dignity and magnificence, as well as they; but because we refuse to do this, we suffer afflictions which hurt us not, but we are purified by them, and our sin is consumed, that not any relics or any spots do remain in us, and when God doth chastise us in this captivity for our sins, we cease not to hope in him, neither do we despair, but that in his own time we may be delivered.  Christian. 
And why I beseech you have your rabbis appointed you so many bounds, which now are all past, and your Messiah is not yet come, neither have you any hope that he will come?  Jew. 
Our rabbis were much troubled and disquieted, therefore they set some near bound, lest the common people should despair, and cast off their hope of freedom.  Christian. 
Thus your rabbis do seduce the simple Jews who live amongst you, by saying, expect a little while there, and expect a little while there, and behold you have no salvation nor redemption. But tell me another sign, and tell me what shall be when your redemption shall come.  Jew. 
The Israelites shall not fall away as other Nations, who shall so much be abolished, that even the remembrance of their name shall not remain; but the Israelites shall be so reunited amongst the Nations, that in every place they shall be one people, although now they are banished and cast out into every part of the world, for in the latter days they shall return to their dignity, and shall be greater than all the Nations of the earth, for then shall judgement draw nigh, that the wicked may be abolished, who are amongst them. And this shall be that day, when the Lord will send his angel to clear the way before the congregation of the banished, lest they should find in their way any adversary, and evil encounter; but because the end of the banishment is not revealed, neither explained in the book of Daniel, when it is said, 
Dan. 12.9  because the sayings are shut up and sealed, until the time of the end: therefore 'tis said in Malachi, 
Mal. 3.1.  for he shall suddenly come, no man knowing the day of the coming of the Lord, who is King, Messiah, and angel of the Testament, or the angel of the Testament is spoken of Elijah. 
Mal. 3. ●. 3.   
Moreover, that day shall be like fire, purifying the rust from the silver, for so the wicked shall be separated from the godly, and the wicked shall fall away, and the residue shall remain just; for that day shall be a day of judgement, when the Lord shall do judgement between the wicked and the godly, the godly shall be his inheritance, and he shall have mercy upon them, that the evil touch them not, which shall consume the wicked, and they shall see the good of Jerusalem, and the peace of Israel, all the days of their life, to wit, theirs who then shall be alive in the congregation of the dispersion, when the redeemer shall come in their days. And the Lord shall raise those that shall not be alive, from the dead, namely, the just, that they may see the peace of Israel; and God shall send Elijah the Prophet for the good of Israel, and shall bring back again his soul, which did ascend into Heaven, to a body formed like his first body; for his first body was turned into earth, and every element did pass into its element; and after that he hath quickened him in body only, he shall send him to Israel before the day of judgement, to admonish the Fathers, and likewise the children, that they should turn themselves to God, with the whole heart, 
Mal. 4. 6.  and they which shall repent, they shall be delivered from the day of judgement.  Chrictian. 
Thou hast told me strange things, that even the dead, in the coming of the Messiah, shall live again, and Elias shall return, and the just shall see their redeemer the Messiah, and they shall rejoice with him: but these things shall be in the second and last coming of the Messiah, that is, in the end of the world, and not in his first coming, as you think; and if you vouchsafe to hear, I will tell you something concerning the resurrection of the dead, and I will tell you the truth. 
Isa. 26.19  We read in Isa. Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise: awake and sing ye that dwell in the dust, for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead. Where he signifies the second coming of the Messiah to judgement, when God himself in the day of judgement, shall raise the dead to life. The same is also in the Prophecy of Daniel, 
Dan. 12.2  and many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth, shall awake, that is, the resurrection of the dead to life, shall be common to all the just, and the wicked shall also receive their bodies, but to be punished in them, and in their souls, and die perpetually. Moreover, when the Prophet saith (thy dead) he directs his speech to God; and than a voice shall come from heaven, and shall say to them, awake and sing ye that dwell in the dust. So when he saith (they dew) he speaks figuratively to God; for as the dew doth quicken, and cause the herbs to grow up, so the dew of divine power shall quicken the dead, and the earth shall cast forth her dead, that is, God shall condemn the wicked, and thrust them out into hell, but the just shall go with Christ into eternal life, and then the present world shall have an end, and the elect shall be with God in the kingdom of heaven for ever and ever, but the wicked shall be shut up together with the devil into hell, from whence they shall never be delivered; as it is said in the same place, 
Dan. 12. 2  some shall awake to eternal life, but some to reproaches, and to perpetual abomination. Behold, this is our faith concerning the resurrection of the dead, and so also our holy Prophets have taught.  Jew. 
Our rabbis also have taught us, how we should believe, but after another manner; for they have said, the resurrection of the dead shall be for all the just, and for some wicked, for the Lord shall cast forth those that be dead, that is, the wicked to the earth, but that cannot give them life. Moreover, the dead which then the Lord shall raise to life, shall not differ from other men in the use of human life, for they shall have a free choice of good and evil; for therefore he saith, 
Dan. 12.2  some to eternal life, but some unto reproaches, and eternal abomination, until at length they come into contempt, and a continual consummation, that no part of good shall come to them, but even as the Prophet saith, 
Hab. 2.14  at that time the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the Lord. Then the abundance of divine knowledge shall so much increase, that the faith of God shall never be wanting, neither shall man be changed, but to good, and to perfection, and many Jews say these things shall be before the days of the Messiah, at which time miracles without number shall come to pass.  Christian. 
And here you likewise err, seeing all these miracles are fulfilled already, some few excepted, which shall come to pass in the second coming of the Messiah, namely in the end of the world, when God and the Messiah shall come to judge the quick and the dead, for the Messiah is come already, and hath quickened the dead, some from a corporal death, & some from a spiritual death. At this day Idols have ceased in the world; as it is written, The earth is filled with the knowledge of the Lord; 
Isa. 11. 9  for all Nations profess at this day, one God. At this day much people walk to the house of the God of Jacob, which is the congregation of the faithful believing in Christ, who also figuratively are called the spiritual Jerusalem. At this day the wolf remains with the Lamb; 
Isa. 11. 6.  that is, the wicked and devourer, with the meek, and doth not hurt him. Peace also was through the whole world in those days, when Christ was born; for than one man, namely Octavianus, did reign over the whole world in peace. But in the world to come, which is the kingdom of Christ, there shall be peace without end; now the Ports of Jerusalem are open, that every one that will may enter, 
Isa. 2.2.  and the mountain of the Lord is established upon the top of the mountains, and is lifted above the hills. To day in the heavenly Jerusalem, which is the City of believers in Christ, who is already, come, 
Isa. 65.19  a voice of weeping and mourning shall no more be heard there, but believers in Christ shall remain there, not only five hundred years, but for ever. But ye Jews do not understand this word, as Isaias hath prophesied, 
Isa. 1 3.  the Ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his Master's crib; but Israel doth not know, my people doth not consider: as if he should say; they would not understand and walk in a right way; interpreting places of Scripture according to their own fancies, knowing that their words are defended by no truth, as I will explain below, where they say Christ shall have sons and daughters. And is it not written in the Thalmud, in the Treatise Nisa, that the Messiah shall not come, till the souls be perfected from the body, that is, brought out of that closet, from whence the souls shall come which are created, for they so call the body: Know therefore, their words are empty and foolish, when they frame expositions of things to come, for they do it to triumph, and obstinately to remain in their error, lest if they repented, and stood off from their purpose, they should lie under shame and disgrace; but they themselves confess, they dare not for the people, sing a recantation, for otherwise they should be killed, because they have so blinded the eyes of the common people, with their false consolations. But I know you Jews do object to us Christians, that this gave occasion to your so tedious banishment, because Jesus being born of the seed of David of the Jews, 
Ioh. 10.30  made himself God, and drew many of the people to him, who believed in him: which nevertheless is a very bad error with you, and your ancestors. Did they not kill him for it, and hang him upon a tree? if they had done well, God ought rather to hasten their redemption for that fact, even before the end of their banishment were come, especially seeing they had fulfilled that command, 
Deu. 13.5  Thou shalt root out evil from the midst of thee; and did he not promise this very thing to them by Moses? Moreover, if the words of Christ were lies, why did not God send some Prophet or vision, as he did in the days of the Kings when they worshipped Baal, and other Idols, admonishing them to abstain from that vanity, and did reprove them? But forasmuch as this hath not been done, we may conclude, that his words and deeds were true and just. Blessed therefore is the man, who puts his trust in the Lord, and in his Christ, and whose confidence the Lord is; for the time wherein he hopes in him, and in the Messiah sent in the second house. I have other Arguments which I could bring, proving the Messiah to be already come; but I think it needless to allege more here, seeing I have cited those which I thought the chiefest; but if any man will enter a dispute with me in this business, I will give him other reasons and Arguments, if these now mentioned, will not satisfy him. But now speak you, and tell what you yet know, and I will hear you.  Jew. 
The mentioned Haggada, saith also this of the Messiah, that he prays for Israel, that the Lord would remit our sins; and he takes upon him chastisements, and saith before him: I will take upon me sufferings, so that thou wilt quicken our dead, and not these dead only, but they who have been slain by men to this present, and not these only who have died, but these who have been cast into the sea, and drowned, and who have been devoured by wolves, leopards, and other beasts. But this prayer shows him to be a man and not God; neither is it in his power to raise the dead. Moreover, those passions are nothing else but his sorrow, whereby he is grieved, that he delays so long, seeing his people in captivity, and not being able to save them; he sees that they worship a strange god, and deny the true God, making to themselves another Messiah, and honouring him. Thou shalt also observe this, when the Israelites shall come out of captivity, many and great miracles shall come to pass, and no power shall be in the great ones of this world to hinder them, and God shall bring forth many fountains in the desert, in the mountains, and in the middle of the valleys; neither shall he do that only, but shall cause trees to grow in the deserts, to give shelter to the passers by, that the heat and the Sun smite them not. As it is written, 
Isa. 41. 18  I will open rivers in high places, and fountains in the midst of the valleys, I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water. I will plant in the wilderness the Cedar, the Shittah tree, and the myrtle, and the oil tree, &c. And waters, and great trees shall remain in those deserts for ever; and the men of this world shall say when they pass by them: these things the Lord did for the honour of Israel, and they shall confess to the name of the Lord for this miracle for ever. Moreover it is written, they which wait upon the Lord, shall renew their strength, 
Isa. 40.31  they shall mount up with wings as eagles. Behold, the Israelites who in this captivity do wait for the Lord, and have no strength, shall renew their strength like as a shrub or tree, which if it be lopped, is renewed again; so the Israelites shall again go into their own land, as the eagle, which if he come to the tenth year, raiseth himself up to the face of the heaven, &c. as you have reported above.  Christian. 
And who shall show you the way from these remote countries, into which you are scattered to Jerusalem?  Jew. 
God shall be the guide of our journey, that not so much as fools shall wander from the strait way; for whether any hath been accustomed to run journeys or not, no man shall go astray in the way, but shall go by a strait path towards Jerusalem; neither shall the filthy deserts hinder, in which formerly, evil beasts have dwelled: for then when the Israelites shall pass over, there shall no lions, neither cruel beasts be there. Again, Isaiah saith in another place, 
Isa. 60. 8.  who are these that fly as clouds, and as doves to their habitations? And this is spoken concerning the congregations of Israel, who shall go up from every place out of captivity, and with great facility, like clouds they shall come into their own land; for the prophet compared their swift motion to the clouds. Moreover he saith, that they shall fly swiftly as doves, when they return to their nests. Also Daniel saith, 
Dan. 12.2  blessed is he that waits, and comes to a thousand, three hundred and thirty five days; for then the Messiah shall first come, and shall reduce to nothing, the false worship of the Gods, and shall cast it out of the world, and afterward he shall gather together his dispersed people of Israel, into the desert of the people; according to that which is written, 
Hos. 2.14.  I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak comfortably to her, afterwards he shall bring the Israelites into their own land: For as Moses the first Redeemer did lead the Israelites in the desert forty years, 
Num. 32. 13.  so the last redeemer shall do, as it is written, and she shall sing there, as in the days of her youth, 
Hos. 2.15.  and as in the day when she came up out of the land of Egypt. After all these things they shall rest in their own land, and shall rejoice in the Lord their God, and in David their King. Blessed is he that shall wait, and shall come to these days.  Christian. 
Behold, now from the time of the destruction of the Temple, not only 1335 years are past, but many more, and your fathers expected the Messiah at that time, and this was a constant exposition of the mentioned words, and notwithstanding, 
Dan. 12.12  your Messiah is not yet come: from whence it is easily drawn, that you do pervert the Scriptures according to your pleasure. Moreover, the other words which you have cited out of Isaiah, 
Isa. 60. 8.  are to be understood figuratively, and not according to the literal meaning.  Jew. 

Is. 49.7, 8, &c.  It is written also, thus saith the Lord the Redeemer of Israel, and his holy one, to him whom man despiseth, to him whom the Nations abhorreth, to a servant of Rulers; Kings shall see, and arise, Princes also shall worship, because of the Lord that is faithful, and the holy One of Israel, and he shall choose thee. Thus saith the Lord, in an acceptable time have I heard thee, and in a day of salvation have I helped thee: and I will preserve thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, to establish the earth, to cause to inherit the desolate heritages: that thou Mayest say to the Prisoners, go forth; to them that are in darkness, show yourselves: they shall feed in the ways, and their pastures shall be in all high places. They shall not hunger nor thirst, neither shall the heat nor Sun smite them: for he that hath mercy on them shall lead them, even by the springs of water shall he guide them, and I will make all my mountains a way, and my high ways shall be exalted. Behold these shall come from far; and lo, these from the north, and from the sea, and these from the land of Sinim. I say, these sayings of Scripture shall be fulfilled, when the Lord shall bring forth Israel out of captivity ver. 7. (whom man despiseth) the Lord speaks it by Israel, who is despised by the Nations, and an abomination to them, and a servant of so many Lords; but Kings shall behold him, and rise at his presence, and Princes shall worship him; and they shall do this because of the Lord, who is the faithful helper of Israel, ver. 8. To establish the earth, that is, repair the desolations of the land of Israel, and possess the heritages lying under desolation all the time of the captivity, v. 9 saying to the bound, go forth out of captivity, for the Israelites are as prisoners, who have not any power to go out of captivity, and power of the Gentiles. In like manner the captivity is compared to darkness, ver. 9 Moreover, they shall be fed, because they shall find everywhere so much as shall satisfy them, until they shall come forth out of captivity, even in the high places, where at another time, no pasture is found for cattle, because of the desert of water, and in places, where other travellers can get nothing, they shall find all sufficiency, v. 10. they shall nowhere suffer hunger or thirst, the Lord providing necessaries for them; who shall open in the deserts, fountains for them, and shall make fruit-bearing trees to grow for their profit; and all these things shall happen to them miraculously. Also in all the places of deserts, by which they shall pass, fountains of water shall flow forth. Lastly (He saith) and I will make all my mountains a way, and my high ways shall be exalted. 
Isa. 40.4.  I will make every valley to be exalted, and every mountain or hill shall be made low, and that wonderfully, lest in their journey, they should be compelled to ascend and descend, to their wearying. And thus according to the literal meaning, the saying also may be figurative, namely, that by that long journey, they shall not be wearied, for the ascent and descent do exceedingly weary the Traveller; therefore God shall give them strength, that they may not at all be wearied. Moreover, the Prophet subjoins, I'll make my mountains, and my paths. For God shall make new ways through the deserts, where before was no way; and when he adds again, behold these, &c. He recounts the four parts of the world, into which the Israelites are scattered: By the sea, understand the west, and by the land of Sinim, the south, for there dwell the Sineans, who descended from the sons of Canaan.  Christian. 
And what shall be after that you shall be gathered together in the Land of Israel? will they build Cities, and till the ground?  Jew. 
It is written, 
Isa. 60.10  the sons of strangers shall build thy walls, and their Kings shall serve thee, because in my anger I smote thee, and in my loving kindness I had compassion on thee. The Nations in thy land shall build thy walls, and shall do thy work; for at that time when my indignation was upon thee, thou wert brought into the service of the Nations; but in the time of my good pleasure, the Nations shall likewise serve thee, as also their Kings. 
Ver. 11.  Thy gates shall be open continually day and night, neither shall they be ever shut, that they may bring to thee the riches of the Gentiles, and their Kings may also be brought. He saith, thy gates shall be open, because peace shall be in the whole world, they shall go by night because of the heat, and Kings likewise shall gather themselves together, to come before the Messiah as servants, before their Lord. For it is the manner of Kings, when they go on foot, or ride on a horse, for honour sake, to be conducted by Princes. 
Ver. 13.  The glory of Lebanon shall come to thee, the fir tree, the box tree, and the pine tree, to adorn the place of my sanctuary, and I will honour the place of my feet, for they did build the sanctuary with the trees of Lebanon, which is set directly against the throne of Majesty; and when the throne of Majesty is the sea of God, it follows, that the sanctuary is his footstool. Moreover, the gate of heaven is above the sanctuary, and that is as it were the navel of the world, and the land of Israel is put in the middle of the world, and Jerusalem in the middle of the Land of Israel, and the sanctuary in the middle of Jerusalem, and the Temple in the middle of the sanctuary, and the ark in the middle of the Temple, and the Temple of holiness is called the throne of Majesty again, the Lord saith to Isaiah, 
Isa. 54 11  Behold, I will lay thy stones with fair colours, and lay thy foundations with saphires, and I will make thy windows of agates, and thy gates of carbuncles, and all thy borders of pleasant stones, and all thy children shall be taught of the Lord: Therefore it may be, that these words may be fulfilled, according to the letter, or else they may be a figure, by which is expressed the magnificence and abundance of good things, which Israel shall enjoy, that if they would, they might in those days build their houses of precious stones. Finally, all his sons shall be taught of the Lord, and a man shall no longer teach his neighbour. 
Isa. 54.13 Ier. 31.34   Christian. 
By these words heavenly Jerusalem is figured out, or surely by these words is signified, the congregation, and Church of the faithful, which is the spiritual Jerusalem: But I desire you to tell me somewhat more concerning this thing.  Jew. 

Isa. 61. 5.  again, Isaias saith, stangers shall stand and feed your sheep, and the sons of strangers shall be your husbandmen, and vine-dressers. But ye shall be called the Priests of the Lord, men shall call you the servants of our God, ye shall eat the substance of the Gentiles; do ye understand these words?  Christian. 
I do not clearly understand; do you therefore vouchsafe to explain them more plainly to me.  Jew. 
Behold strangers shall arise out of their own place, and shall come to serve us; but we shall not be compelled to do our own businesses, but the sons of strangers shall do them, to the end that we may be more free to serve God. Moreover, we shall eat the substance of the Gentiles. For besides this, that they shall serve us in our land, they shall bring us also gifts, gold and silver, and every good thing out of their own land, and we shall not be compelled to go out of our own land to exercise merchandise, and to get gain; for in our own land we shall enjoy the good of the world. Again, the Prophet saith, 
Isa. 61. 9  and their seed shall be known in the Nations, and their offspring in the midst of the people: all who shall see them, shall know them, that they are of the seed which the Lord hath blessed, and when we shall go by the Land of the Gentiles to travel abroad, or to traffic, although we shall have no need of them, we shall be known by our great honours, in which we shall then be; and we shall go honourably apparelled, and men shall say of us, 
Ver. 9  these are the children of Israel, these are the seed which the Lord hath blessed. Likewise our young men shall go for their pleasure to see the Countries of the Gentiles. God also shall renew a good air, so that the Israelites shall live in health many years. Also he shall give the earth a singular virtue, as it is said; 
Isa. 65.17  Behold I create new heavens, and a new earth, and the former shall not be remembered.  Christian. 
Shall men die in that Land, or shall they live for ever?  Jew. 
They shall not die by the sword, because war shall not be there, neither shall there be a natural death, except after many years, when a man shall be full of days; but when he shall die, they shall not weep over him, as it is written, 
Isa. 65. 19  the voice of weeping and mourning shall no more be heard in Jerusalem. Also in that time they shall not say of an old man, that he hath accomplished his days, until he come to the three hundreth or five hundreth year, and above, such as were in the first ages in the beginning of the world. But these days which now in the world are counted for old age, shall then be the days of youth, and men shall be accounted then as growing children, as it is written, 
Ps 92.14.  they shall be fruitful in old age, they shall be fat and flourishing, in the contrary manner of old men; wherefore it is written elsewhere, 
Isa. 65.20  a child of a hundred years old shall die, that is, if any man die in the hundreth year, which shall be, because of his sin; they shall say of him, that a child is dead, and he expounds it after this manner: A child of an hundred years who shall sin, shall be accused; as if he should say, the curse of God shall be upon him. Then they shall not build, and another inhabit, as now it is, neither shall they plant, and another eat, but according to the days of trees, shall the days of my people be; 
Ver. 22.  that is, in the elect, because they only shall have the longest lives, and that not without a miracle, but not other people; whereupon Jonathan hath interpreted that place thus: They shall live as the days of trees. But our rabbis say, that a living tree doth endure five hundred years. Some also say there shall be some change in the nature of corn, in the time of the Redeemer, that it shall as vines be preserved in strength, and there shall not be need every year to sow new corn, but it shall be sown only once, as the vine is once planted; and after the corn shall be gathered in; the stalks shall remain flourishing to the next year.  Christian. 
In what place of Scripture, did your rabbis find that?  Jew. 
In Hosea, they shall preserve their corn, and it shall flourish as a vine. Also in that time, if they ask of the blessed God rain, he shall give it them, and he will give every man herbs in his field according to his desire. Moreover, our Masters say, that at that time when the Israelites shall do the will of God, he will also do their will, so that if any one alone shall have need of rain, he will give rain to him alone; or if any one shall want rain for one herb in his field or garden, he will give rain to that herb alone. And this is that which is said, ask rain of the Lord, 
Zac. 10.1.  and he will give thee plentiful rain for every herb in the field.  Christian. 
Because you have fallen upon Zachary, tell me how you understand those words which are written in it, 
Zac. 14.10  shall the whole earth be turned as into a plain?  Jew. 
I will tell you, behold, all the land about Jerusalem, which now is mountainous, as it is in the psalms, 
Ps. 125.2.  shall then be plain like the plainness of a champion field, and it shall be exalted, and be higher than all the land, although now it be higher than all the land of Israel, by reason of the mountains which are about it, because of which its height cannot be seen: But at that time when all the land round about it shall be made plain, its height shall be seen more than all the Land. Wherefore it is said in the prophecy of Isaiah, 
Isa. 2.2.  the mountain of the Lord shall be established upon the top of the mountains, and shall be lifted above the hills, and many fields which now are nigh Jerusalem, shall then be within the walls of the City, and that City being built, shall never afterwards be destroyed, as it is written, behold, 
Ier. 31. 38,40.  the days come saith the Lord, and the City of the Lord shall be built from the tower of Hananeel, to the gate of the corner, &c. it shall not be destroyed nor plucked down for ever. It is said also in the Psalm, if the Lord build not the house, 
Psa. 127.1  they labour in vain who build it. But this he saith of the sanctuary, and City of Jerusalem. Behold, from that day wherein the house of the Lord was wasted, and the Israelites led into captivity, and the City destroyed, Jerusalem was now again rebuilt, and now again destroyed; because it was in the power of the Idumeans, and in the power of the Ismaelites, and every year war was raised for it; they build it, and these destroy it again, because it is not the will of the Lord, that the Gentiles should keep it built, 
Ver. 1.  and therefore they labour in vain who build it, and in vain do they rise in the morning who keep it. First, the Idumeans did subdue Jerusalem; afterwards when they were quiet, the Ismalites came and made a great war with the christians, and took the City out of their hands, and there was a continual war between them, and that discord, pains and labour to possess the City, shall endure until the Redeemer and King Messiah shall come, to whom the Lord God shall deliver Jerusalem without all trouble.  Christian. 
Shall the City and the Temple be then built, as Ezechiel saw them in the spirit of Prophecy?  Jew. 

Eze. 40.1.  Yes, for he saith thus, in the 25 year of our captivity, in the beginning of the year in the tenth month, in that day the Lord brought me to the land of Israel, and set me upon an exceeding high mountain, upon which there was as it were the building of the City, from the south, because in the day of mercy God will pardon the iniquity of Israel, and will remember their sin no more, and the Temple shall be built in the mountain, and the City Jerusalem shall be next to it, on the south there the Lord shows Ezekiel the building of the future Temple, that the hope of the Israelites might not fail, but they might know they should return into their own land, and should dwell in it securely, and the building of the Temple shall be much greater than it was at the beginning, though it shall not differ in form and order.  Christian. 
Ezekiel had this vision in the babylonish captivity, 
Ver. 1.  before the second house was built, therefore it cannot be understood of the building of a third Temple. Again, I ask of you at what time of the year shall the Israelites go into their own land, after your Messiah shall come.  Jew. 
I have told you already, namely, in the day of propitiation, for then God shall pardon the iniquity of Israel; but in the month Nisan, 
That is, April.  they shall be delivered, which month also, before when they were delivered out of Egypt, was the beginning of redemption; they shall come forth before Nisan, and shall ascend towards the land of promise, but in the first day of that month the building of the Temple shall be finished, and they shall dedicate the Altar in that day, and when they shall be in their journey, God shall judge them in the desert, as it is written, 
Ezek. 20. 34,35.  As I live saith the Lord God, I will bring you out from the people, and will gather you together out of the Nations, in which you have been scattered, and will lead you into the desert of the people, and will judge you there face to face, as as I judged your fathers in the desert of the Land of Egypt; the meaning of which place is this: When I shall bring you forth out from the people, I will not lead you to the land of Israel, until I shall judge you in the desert of the people, for there I will take vengeance of you, and will destroy the rebellious, and every wicked one whom I shall find amongst you; I will take my judgement of you in the place where no man shall be found to pass or repass, lest the Nations should see your evil, and should rejoice over you; but he saith face to face, that is, between me and between you only, without any mediator.  Christian. 
Shall than all the Nations believe in one God?  Jew. 
Divers faiths shall not then be in the world as now, but a chosen language shall return to the people, that all may call upon the Name of the Lord, and may serve him with one shoulder, for then shall be fulfilled that which is written, 
Isa. 66.19  To gather together all nations that they may come and see my glory. I will set a sign amongst them, and I will send forth the rest of them to the Gentiles, that they may show my glory, and bring all your brethren from all Nations, a gift to the Lord, on horses and chariots; as if he should say: I will cause all nations to come with Gog and Magog, and see my glory wherewith I will be glorified among them, and I will cause the remnant to go into all Nations, and declare my glory among the Gentiles, who have not come to Jerusalem, and when they shall hear that great miracle which God hath done in the Tents of Gog and Magog, they shall bring the sons of Israel on horses and chariots, for a gift to the Lord, and they shall bring them honourably apparelled, set on horses and chariots, and the seed of Israel shall continue all the days of the world, neither shall the Israelites ever perish, or be led into banishment out of their own land, as those Nations thought, who came with Gog and Magog, to besiege Jerusalem, who thought to lead away Israel, and blot out their name. Again, the Prophet saith, 
Isa. 66.23  and all flesh shall come and worship before my face, saith the Lord; for all that are left of all the Nations, shall come every year to Jerusalem, to worship the King of Heaven, and celebrate the feast of Tabernacles: He saith evidently, the Feast of Tabernacles, which battle of Gog and Magog shall be in that time. Also the Nations shall come from every part of the world to seek the peace of Israel, bringing a gift to her. A gift, as it is written, 
Ver. 12.  Thus saith the Lord, behold I give to her, namely Jerusalem, peace as a river, and the glory of the Gentiles as a flowing stream, not that it shall hurt like an overflowing flood, but as an overflowing flood comes unawares, so glory shall suddenly come to them, that is, the riches of the Gentiles, and all the days of the world, the Nations of the world shall serve Israel, and the Israelites shall have dominion over their enemies, and they shall revenge that bondage, which the Gentiles have abused in their servitude, all the days of the captivity; and now also all the Nations who do not serve the Jews, are the debtors of death, and worthy of banishment, as it is written in Isaiah, 
Isa. 60.1.  Arise, shine, for the Nation and kingdom that will not serve thee shall perish; therefore all the time that they serve the Israelites, they have a strong hope, as it is said, And strangers shall stand and feed thy sheep, and the children of strangers shall be thy husbandmen, and thy vine-dressers. Whence it appears, you ought to serve us every hour, to fulfil that which is said, the greater shall serve the lesser. It is also written with you, that Saint John hath said, the Jews are to be honoured, for our salvation came from them.  Christian. 
That last is false, because it is not written in the book of John, that ye Jews are to be honoured by the Christians, but thou hast added that to the words of our Messiah, who said it not. But yet you have not told me, who is Gog, and who is Magog, and when their battle shall be against the Israelites.  Jew. 
Magog is a name of a Nation, and Gog the name of the King reigning in that Nation. But Magog came of the sons of Japhet, and behold they say, that from the days of Alexander King of the Greeks, the posterity of Magog have been shut up in the end of the north, whom Alexander shut up there within the mountains, whence they have not gone forth hitherto, but they shall go forth in the time of salvation, after that Israel is gone out of captivity: for so we have found it written, that Alexander the Macedonian shut up Gog and Magog within great and high mountains, out of which there is no egress, but in one place only, where he made a very strong building, whose walls are of Iron, that no man can go forth thence; also in that wall he hath made by wonderful industry, iron men, who continually as it were with hammers, and axes, do smite upon the wall, that the men who are within the walls may think, that building is to be continued and fortified for ever, that none of them may ever go forth, and that building shall not be broken, neither shall any passage be made, until that great and terrible day come, when it shall please the Lord, that they may go forth thence; for then mountains shall be thrown down, and the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground; 
Eze. 38.3.  for thus saith the Lord God, behold I am against thee O Gog, and I will bring thee forth, all thine army, horses and horsemen, and all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords. Persia, Ethiopia, and Lybia with them, all of them with shield and helmet. Gomer and all his bands, the house of Togarma of the north quarters, ver. 14, 15. In that day when my people of Israel dwelleth safely, thou shalt know it, and shalt come out of thy place from the north parts, thou and many people with thee, and thou shalt come up against my people Israel, as a cloud to cover the land. ver. 19,20. And in that day there shall be a great shaking in the Land of Israel, so that the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the heaven, and the beasts of the field, and all creeping things that creep upon the earth, and all the men that are upon the face of the earth, shall shake at my presence, and the mountains shall be thrown down, and the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground, and I will call for a sword against him throughout all my mountains, saith the Lord God; every man's sword shall be against his brother.  Christian. 
These words of the Prophet are wonderful; but pursue your discourse, and declare what you know.  Jew. 

Eze. 38. 22.  It follows, And I will plead against him with pestilence, and with blood, and I will rain upon him and his bands, and upon the many people that are with him, an overflowing rain, and great hailstones, fire and brimstone. Thus will I magnify myself and sanctify myself, and I will be known in the eyes of many Nations, and they shall know that I am the Lord. Again, saith the Lord, behold I am against thee, 
Eze. 39 1,2.  Gog, and I will smite thee, and punish thee with six plagues, and will cause thee to come up from the north parts, and will bring thee upon the mountains of Israel. And I will smite thy bow out of thy left hand, and will cause thine arrows to fall out of thy right hand. Thou shalt fall upon the mountains of Israel, thou and all thy bands, and the people that is with thee: I will give thee unto the ravenous birds of every sort, and to the beasts of the field to be devoured. Behold he saith, in that great war shall be a great tumult, to which Zachary alludeth; who in his prophecy speaketh thus, 
Zac. 14.4.  The mountain of Olives shall be rent; also every man's sword shall be against his brother in that tumult of the Lord, neither shall be left of them but the sixt part of the multitude, and they shall go to all Nations, to declare the glory of the Lord amongst the Nations, that they come not against Jerusalem; or he shall judge them with six judgements, namely, plague, blood, overflowing rain, 
Ezek. 38. 22.  hailstones, fire and brimstone. But what he saith, fishes of the sea, and fowls of heaven, know, that is spoken hyperbolically, to show the greatness of the tumult which shall be.  Christian. 
Why understand you that which is spoken of the fishes of the sea, 
Ver. 20.  &c. hyperbolically, but expoundest the other part of the prophecy according to the letter? and where I pray you is it written, that Alexander King of the Greeks, shut up the sons of Magog within the mountains? but continue that prophecy, as you have begun.  Jew. 
Again, Ezechiel saith, 
Eze. 39.9.  And they that dwell in the Cities of Israel shall go forth, and shall set on fire and burn the weapons, both the shield and the bucklers, the bows and the arrows, and the hand-staves and the spears, and they shall burn them with fire seven years, they shall take no wood out of the field, neither cut down any out of the forests, for they shall burn the weapons with fire, that is, they shall not need to cut down trees out of the woods, but the weapons of war shall suffice. Moreover, he saith ver. 11. And it shall come to pass at that day, that I will give unto Gog, a place there of graves in Israel, the valley of the passengers on the East of the Sea; and it shall stop the noses of the passengers; there shall the house of Israel bury them, to the end, that they may cleanse the land seven months, the stink of the dead shall cause those that pass by that way, to stop and shut their noses from that very evil stink, and the people of the land shall be employed in the burying of them seven months; also the Nations, who came to worship, shall go forth out of Jerusalem into the valley of Jehosaphat, to see the carcases of the army of Gog and Magog, who dealt wickedly against the Lord. And though the house of Israel do bury them, that they may cleanse the earth seven months, 'tis possible that they may see in those seven months, the judgement of those wicked men, for they shall see their carcases full of worms gnawing them, and fire burning in them, as it is written, 
Isa. 66.24.  They shall go forth and see the carcases of those men, who have done perversely against me, for their worm shall not die, neither their fire be extinguished.  Christian. 
You have hitherto multiplied words of divers things, I would have you repeat to me those things in a compend; which you have alleged here and above.  Jew. 
I will do it, and give you 15 answers, 5 out of scripture, and 5 out of the cabal, and 5 by clear demonstration. Of the 5 which are brought out of Scripture, this is the first. 
Isa. 11.11.  It is written that all shall be gathered together from the four parts of the world to come to Jerusalem, and not a remnant or one of them shall remain in a strange land, and I will gather them to their own land, and will leave none of them there any more, &c. but in the days of the second Temple, they of Israel were not gathered together, but as it is written, 
Ezra 2.64  the whole congregation together, was forty and two thousand, three hundred and threescore, and for our comfort it is written, 
Ver. 11.  that the Israelites shall be gathered together in the day of salvation from these Isles; from Elam, from Sinear, and Homath: But in the time of the first house, we do not find that one of them was transported to the Isles of the sea, and by consequent, none was to be brought back from hence.  Christian. 
There is no truth in your mouth, who at your own pleasure do pervert the Scriptures; for the mentioned places of Scripture, are to be understood of the gathering together of the Babylonish dispersion: concerning which, we find it thus written, 
Neh. 1. 8.  Remember I beseech thee, the word that thou commandedst thy servant Moses, saying, if ye transgress, I will scatter you abroad among the Nations; but if ye turn unto me, and keep my commandments and do them; though there were of you cast out to the utmost parts of the heaven, yet will I gather them from thence, and will bring them to the place that I have chosen to set my name there. But if you object, that the Lord said in Ezekiel, 
Eze. 34. 13.  I will gather them together to their own land, and will not leave any of them: but in the time of Ezra, all the Israelites did not return to their own land. I answer, that is not true, for Ezra saith, 
Ezr. 2.70.  and all the Israelites dwelled in their Cities. Moreover that is to be noted which is written in Deuteronomy concerning the babylonish captivity, 
Deu. 30.3  Then the Lord thy God will turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the Nations whither the Lord thy God hath scattered thee. If any of thine be driven out unto the utmost parts of Heaven, from thence will the Lord thy God gather thee, from thence will he fetch thee, and the Lord thy God will bring thee into the land which thy fathers possessed, and thou shalt possess it.  Jew. 
If you will after this manner reproach my words, I will no longer speak to you of this matter.  Christian. 
Do it not I pray you, for I will lay my finger upon my mouth.  Jew. 

Ezek: 37. 23.  The second answer is found in Ezekiel, They shall not be defiled any more in their uncleanness, and abominations, &c. And David my King shall reign over them, and they all shall have one shepherd: and I will put my sanctuary in the midst of them for ever. The third is mentioned in Isaiah, for the comforts of Zion. 
Isa. 60.10  And children of strangers shall build thy walls, &c. But in the building of the second Temple, the Israelites were not suffered to build the Temple according to their will, but were continually molested with wars, to the end they might be so hindered in the building, as it is written, With the one hand they did the work, and in the other held a sword, Neh. 4. 17.  Christian. 
I pray you take it not grievously, if I speak this once. Behold Cyrus' King of Persia, who was a stranger, caused the house of the Lord to be built, and suffered the children of Israel to return into their own land, and therefore the mentioned prophecy was fulfilled, according to the letter in the second Temple, which was built by strangers, according to the prophecy of Isaiah, 
Isa. 44. 28  but not without the command of God; but proceed and tell me the fourth answer.  Jew. 
It is written for our comfort, 
Isa. 60.11.  And thy gates shall stand open continually day and night. But in the days of the second Temple, it is thus written, 
Neh. 7.3.  the gates of Jerusalem shall not be open until the son grow hot. Therefore they shut the gates so long as their state continued.  Christian. 
There the Prophet speaks allegorically, and hyperbolically, as he also saith there, 
Isa. 60. 9  thou shalt not have the sun for a light by day, &c. Now speak you.  Jew. 
The fifth answer is written in Isa. for our comfort; 
Ver. 12.  for the Nation and kingdom that will not serve thee, shall perish. But in the days of the second Temple, they were continually oppressed with bondage by the Kings of the Gentiles; as it is written, Behold, 
Ne. 9 36.  we are at this day oppressed with bondage, and the land which thou gavest our fathers to eat of the fruits thereof, and be satisfied with the fullness thereof, behold we at this day are servants in it.  Christian. 
I have said already, that all that place Is. must be understood allegorically, 
Isa. 60.12  or hyperbolically.  Jew. 
I will now give you some answers out of Cabala.  Christian. 
And I will willingly give ear to your words, providing, that you tell me the truth, and not a lie.  Jew. 
The first answer out of Cabala is, our wise men have said thus: That in the days of the Messiah, they shall burn wood gathered up in the army of Gog and Magog seven years, so that in those seven years, they shall not need other wood, seeing it is thus written, 
Eze. 39.9.  They shall make or maintain a fire with weapons, &c.  Christian. 
Ezekiel said not, that seven years they should burn weapons of war, 
Ver. 9  so that they should not want other wood, and therefore the words of your wise men are false, and not true. Moreover, we must say, that prophecy is a certain obscure figure, whose interpretation is not sufficiently manifest to you, nor to us.  Jew. 
The second is, the Prophets say in the time of the Messiah, Nilus a river of Egypt shall be dried up in one place, and the river Euphrates in seven places, that there may be a passage for the redeemed Israelites; for it is thus written, 
Isa. 11.15  And the Lord shall dry up the tongue of the sea of Egypt, that the remnant of my people may have a way. The third; The Prophets say that in the days of the Messiah, the mountain of Olives shall be rent through the middle, toward the North part, namely to be divided into two halves, one half shall bend towards the North, and another towards the South; but through the gap or breach, a great river shall run, for it is written, 
Zec. 14.4.  And the mountain of Olives shall be rent through the middle, to the East and to the West, &c. And it follows, in that day living waters shall go forth out of Jerusalem. The fourth is propounded in Ezekiel, namely, that the Temple shall be rebuilt according to its first form and similitude. The fifth is explained in the same place, 
Eze. 47.1.  that living waters shall go forth of the Sanctuary, on each bank whereof, fruit-bearing trees fit for food shall grow, 
Ver. 12.  &c. But in the days of the second Temple, 'tis manifest, none of these things are yet come to pass.  Christian. 
The words of the Prophets are not always to be understood according to the sound of the words, but in spirit, and according to an allegory.  Jew. 
The five answers which are gathered from clear demonstration, are taken out of the Prophets, who say that all people shall believe in the Lord, for it is written, 
Zec. 14.9.  God shall be King over all the earth: in that day there shall be one God, and his name one: But now the Nations believe, and have many faiths, and they do as they did at the beginning.  Christian. 
Although there be divers and many faiths, nevertheless, all Nations and persons do believe in one God, who created heaven and earth, some few men excepted, who worship Idols; but of all the Nations some men are found who believe in the God of heaven.  Jew. 
The second clear demonstration is also had from the Prophets, who say that all the Israelites shall be in quiet and peace, safe from all annoyance of foreign Kings, as it is said in Isa. The Lord hath sworn, 
Isa. 62.8.  I will not give thy corn any more for food to thine enemies: but hitherto we have been in bondage under the people. The third; The Prophets say, war shall be no more in the world; for it is thus written, I will break the bow and the sword from the earth. And again, it is said, 
Isa. 2.4.  Nation shall not lift up sword against Nation, neither shall they learn war any more. But to this time they make war, that people against this, and a man kills his neighbour, they quarrel among themselves, people with people, Prince with Prince, and all the earth is full of robbery, and plundering, as in ancient days.  Christian. 
I am constrained here to interrupt your words, and answer the same. Behold, that word odd, that is, beyond, sometimes in Hebrew is taken for, for ever, sometimes for a long time, and sometimes for a short time; as it is in that place, thy name shall no more be called Jacob, 
Gen. 32. 28.  but Israel shall be thy name, and yet a little after, in the same place, he is thrice called Jacob. So in the book of Samuel, it is said, 
1 Sa. 7.13  the Philistines came no more into the bounds of Israel, who nevertheless came into the land of Israel after the death of Samuel. 
1 Sa. 28.4  So it is said here, 
Isa. 2.4.  there shall be war no more, that is, there shall not be war at that time, when the Messiah shall come, and shall be born; as it was in the time of Augustus the Emperor, when our Christ was born in great peace, that men than might have broke, and turned their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning hooks if they would, for that manner of speaking is used by the Prophets.  Jew. 
The fourth is also expressed by the Prophets, 
Isa. 11.6.  That the wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the ox, and the suckling child shall play upon the whole of the asp; but these creatures are now hurtful from the days of old.  Christian. 
I will answer you presently concerning this prophecy.  Jew. 
The fifth is this, the land of Sodom shall be rebuilt as it was from the beginning, seeing it is thus written, 
Eze. 16. 53.  And I will bring back the captivity of Edom, and his villages. For from the beginning, the waters of Sodom were sweet, and watering the Land, as it is written, 
Gen. 13. 10.  And Lot lifted up his eyes, and saw all the plain of Jordan, which was watered everywhere: But now to this day those waters are dried up, and salt. Behold, all these consolations we yet expect shall be. God grant that they may come speedily in our days. Amen. Selah.  Christian. 
We have far digressed from our first discourse, when we began to speak of the war of Gog and Magog. Now therefore tell me what shall be after that war.  Jew. 
In those days all men shall be busied in wisdom, to know the Lord, as it is written, 
Hab. 2.14  The earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the Lord. Then that which jeremy saith, 
Ier. 33.11  shall be fulfilled, A voice of joy and a voice of gladness shall be, and all shall say; confess to the Lord of Hosts, because the Lord is good, for his mercy endureth for ever, and they shall bring an oblation for thanksgiving into the house of the Lord. He doth not say, they shall bring an oblation for sin and for iniquity, because in that time, wicked men and sinners shall not be among them, but all shall know the Lord. Hence it is that our rabbis have said; all oblations shall be made void in the last times, except the oblation of thanksgiving. Moreover, in those days they shall say no more, 
Ezek. 18. 2,3.  the fathers have eaten sour grapes, 
Ier. 31.29  and the children's teeth are set on edge, because then sinners shall be cut off, neither those that sin at that time shall commit any great sin; then the people shall know that GOD is King over all, neither is there another besides him, and they shall come to Jerusalem, to learn the judgements of God and his laws, even as he saith, 
Isa. 2.3.  come and let us go up to the mount of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob, and he will teach us his ways, and we will walk in his paths, for the Law shall go forth from Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He shall judge among the Nations, and shall rebuke many people, and they shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning hooks. The Prophet speaks here of the Messiah; for if war shall be raised among the Gentiles, or questions arise, they shall come to judgement before the King Messiah, who shall be Lord of all the people, and he shall reprove them, and shall say to him who shall be found guilty, amend those faults which thou hast done against him who hath called thee to judgement. And for this cause there shall not be war against people and people, because the King Messiah shall pacify them; neither shall they need instruments of war, but shall break them, 
Mic. 4.3.  to make of them instruments of husbandry. In that day the Lord shall be exalted alone, who shall cast out Idols universally: And although Idols have ceased already among some people, yet some are found in the East, who worship Idols; likewise they are truly counted among worshippers of Idols, who bend their knees, and make images. But in the days of the Messiah Idols shall be wholly rooted out.  Christian. 
At this day, and from many years there are not, neither have been idols in the world, as I said above, but all Nations worship one God, neither do we Christians adore and worship images, as you Jews think, neither do we believe that any power is in images, that they can bring us any help; but some among us, who profess themselves to be Christians, do adore and worship our Christ before images, as your fathers also formerly in the first house did adore and worship God before the ark of the Sanctuary. 
Ps. 138.2.  But let us leave these things, or reserve them to another time, for I desire to hear something from you concerning beasts which shall be in the time of your Messiah.  Jew. 
Concerning beasts you have it thus written, 
Isa. 11. 6.  The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion, and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them, and the cow and the bear shall feed, their young ones shall lie down together, and the lion shall eat straw like the ox, and the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asps, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea. Here are some sayings, that in the days of the Messiah, the natures of living creatures and beasts shall be changed, and they shall be as they were at the beginning of the creation, and as in the ark of Noah: For if in the beginning of the creation, a lion had devoured a sheep, one kind of the creation had perished.  Christian. 
What therefore did the lion, and other devouring creatures eat then, who now eat flesh?  Jew. 
I say, if the lion had eat the flesh of any beast, the world had been deprived of that creature, forsomuch as all creatures first were created in each sex, male and female, and no more, neither could the devouring creatures sustain hunger until cattle which might be devoured, had brought forth other individuals, for the preservation of their kind; therefore it was necessary, that in the mean while they should eat the grass of the field, until devourable cattle were bred and brought forth, then, and after that their nature began to be fed with flesh. We must think the same of them, for the time when they were in the ark of Noah; 
Gen. 6.19.  for if devouring creatures had destroyed the devourable creatures, one kind had been wanting in the world, forasmuch as only two and two were carried into the Ark, 
Gen. 7.16  and no more in one kind; unless you would rather say, seven and seven of clean beasts were carried in, for the necessity of the devouring. Some likewise expound these words figuratively, because the wolf and the leopard, the bear and the lion, do signify wicked men, tyrants, and violent extortioners, who fall upon the weak and poor, as devouring creatures fall upon the weak cattle. For the sheep, the cow, the calf, and kid, do signify the poor of the earth. But there shall be so great a peace in the earth, in the days of the Messiah, that no man shall wrong his neighbour. I allow not this exposition; for the Prophet saith, they shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain.  Christian. 
But I think this exposition true, seeing that Rabbi Moses the Egyptian, write in his readings upon the book of judges, after this manner: Let it not enter into thy heart, that in the days of the Messiah, any thing is diminished of the course of this world, or any thing than renewed of the works of the six days; but the world shall have then its succession like the succession of this time. So likewise of that place, 
Isa. 11.6.  the wolf shall dwell with the lamb, &c. This is the sense, that Israel shall dwell in safety with the wicked of the world, who are compared to lions, wolves and leopards. Finally, in the time of the Messiah it shall be known to all, for what cause those similitudes were spoken, and what is signified by them. Thus much the mentioned Rabbi Moses saith; and after this manner Jacob called Juda a lion's whelp, and Isachar he called a strong ass, 
Ge. 49.27  and Benjamin a wolf, &c. But let us return to the Prophecy.  Jew. 
In the days of the Messiah, peace shall be through the whole world, as it is written, 
Mic. 4.3.  And they shall beat their swords into ploughshares, &c. neither shall nation lift up sword against nation, and they shall not learn the use of war. We may also say, that the nature of beasts shall not be changed, but they shall devour flesh, as they do now. But the Lord shall defend the land of Israel, that evil beasts shall not hurt in it, as it is written, 
Isa. 11.9.  They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, the reason whereof is showed, for the earth is full of the knowledge of the Lord, and because the Israelites shall be good, and shall keep the way of the Lord, no evil beast shall have any dominion over them, neither over their cattle, or over any other thing, as the Lord promised by Moses our teacher, 
Lev. 26.6  And I will drive out every beast out of the land; and if they pass by it, it shall not hurt. And again he hath said, 
Isa. 11 7.  For the lion shall eat straw like the ox, for he shall not tear the flesh of a beast in the land of Israel, though he find not a carcase. 
Ver. 8.  And the infant shall play, &c. For the enmity of the Serpent, contracted from the beginning of the creation, shall be taken away in the days of the Messiah, through the whole land of Israel, and also a Serpent, or other evil beasts shall not hurt any of the people of Israel, by what place soever he pass.  Christian. 
Shall your Messiah have wife and children?  Jew. 
Concerning this it is found written thus, 
Psa. 45.9.  King's daughters were among thy honourable women, upon thy right hand did stand the Queen in gold of Ophir: that is, among the noble wives, which the Messiah shall have, shall be the daughters of Kings; because every King of the Gentiles shall esteem it for great glory to him, if he give him his daughter to wife. But the Psalmist saith, the Queen stood, v. 9 For although the daughters of Kings are numbered among his wives, nevertheless the Queen, who shall be of the Israelites, she shall sit at his right hand in a crown of gold, and she is properly called his concubine, because she only and continually is appointed for his bed; but others shall come to him at certain times, when he shall call for them in his time, to come to the King; but the Queen his wife shall continually be conversant in his closet, and bedchamber. Moreover, concerning his sons, it is thus written, 
Isa. 53.10  He shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the desire of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.  Christian. 
Hoe, thou blind Jew! are you not ashamed to speak such things of the most holy Messiah, as if he would give his heart to carnal pleasures, and would have many wives, seeing that the Prophets have sung of him, that he shall come to take away our sins from us? Behold, thou hast fallen as a blind man at noon day. And moreover, thou seducest other Jews with your exposition; all these things are to be understood figuratively; for that Queen, is that peculiar congregation of faithful men believing in the salvation of the Messiah, and the daughters of Kings are the nations of the Gentiles, who came to believe in Christ; and concerning this Church the spouse of Christ, Solomon speaks in the Canticles. 
Can. 1.9.   Jew. 
Some likewise among our rabbis expound the mentioned verse allegorically, almost as you have done, except that they understand by the undefiled spouse, the Synagogue of Israel.  Christian. 
But what think your rabbis, concerning the death of the Messiah? shall he live always, or shall he die as other men after a long time?  Jew. 
Our great Doctor, Moses the son of Maimon, saith, the Messiah shall die, and his son shall reign after him, and the son of his son shall succeed after his son in the kingdom, nevertheless the Messiah shall live many days, and at length he shall die in great glory, and his son shall inherit the Empire, and after him his Nephew, &c.  Christian. 
Neither you nor the son of Maimon understand the power of God, and the mystery of the holy Scriptures. For although the Messiah was to die, yet he was to die for our sins, for he was stricken, smitten of God, and he was afflicted, 
Isa. 53. 6.  he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon him, and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray, we have turned every one to his own way, and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. He was taken from prison, and from judgement, and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he smitten; and he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth. Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him, he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hands. He shall see of the travel of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many, for he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death; and he was numbered with the transgressors, and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors. You see here, what Isaiah the Prophet hath said concerning the death of the Messiah, how he should die for our sins, that he might save our souls, and might lead us into the kingdom of heaven, and that he should see his seed, and should prolong his days; and truly the pleasure of the Lord hath had a prosperous success in his hand: Forasmuch as his name hath been magnified in the whole earth; and you who slew him, are dispersed throughout all the nations; your house is desolate, and you are become of the people of God, not the people of God, and of God's peculiar inheritance, an abomination in the eyes of God, and of the sons of God, the sons of Belial. But on the contrary, they who believe in God, and in his Christ, these are the people, the possession, and the sons of God, and they shall never see death, because after this world, sin shall not be, and by consequent, neither death which is the punishment of sin.  Jew. 
Our Masters speak far otherwise of these things; for they say in the time of the Messiah, 
Isa. 11.9.  the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the Lord, because of the plentiful pouring forth of God, whereby he shall then bow himself down to the world; neither shall faith be then corrupted, neither shall man be changed, but to good, and to perfection. It is also likely, that then the dead shall not rise, but they who have been just; the wicked shall remain in death, some few excepted. And truly you have now seen, that innumerable miracles shall be wrought in the time of the Messiah, as I have showed you; and because all these are not yet come to pass, we believe not in your Christ, but do expect our redeemer, neither do we despair, though many and great tribulations do meet us in this our modern captivity.  Christian. 
You and your rabbis do err very much, for all these wonderful things, concerning which you have spoke to me, are fulfilled already, some few excepted, which shall be wrought in the second coming of Christ, that is, in the end of the world, when Christ shall come to judge the quick and the dead; for our Christ hath raised some dead from a corporal death, and some from a spiritual death. At this day Idolatry is taken out of the world, 
Isa. 11.9.  and the earth is full of the knowledge of the Lord; because all people do at this day confess one God. Now many people do go to enter into the house of the God of Jacob, 
Mic. 4. 2.  which is the Church of believers in Christ. 
Isa. 2.2.  Now the wolf dwells with the lamb, that is, the ungodly man, and the destroyer with the meek, and he doth not hurt him. Moreover there was peace through the whole world in those days when our Christ was born; for one man, namely Octavianus, did then reign over the whole world in peace, and in the world to come, there shall be peace without end. 
Isa. 60.11  Now the gates of Jerusalem are open, that is, the Church of the faithful is open, and every man of each sex, man and woman, old man and young man, rich and poor, Jew and Gentile, whosoever will, may enter in. 
Isa. 2.2.  Also the mountain of the Lord's house, is prepared on the top of the mountains, and is lifted above the hills. At this day in Jerusalem among believers, 
Isa. 65: 19  the voice of weeping and mourning is no more heard, because they have consolation here, and they expect in the world to come joy, which shall never be taken from them. There men shall live not only five hundred or a thousand years, but for ever and ever.  Jew. 
I understand not your words, because you speak figuratively, and not according to the letter of the Scripture.  Christian. 
This is that which the Lord hath said by the Prophet, 
Isa. 1.3.  The ox knows his owner, and the ass his Master's crib, but Israel doth not know, my people doth not consider. Likewise Moses saith, 
Deu. 28. 29.  the Lord shall smite thee with madness, blindness, and astonishment of hearth, and thou shalt grope at noon day, as the blind man gropeth in darkness, and thou shalt not prosper in thy days.  Jew. 
This is the punishment wherewith God doth chastise us for our sin, but he will not throw off his people for ever.  Christian. 
What is that your sin, for which this banishment, which now you suffer so long after the second house is so much prolonged beyond the banishment of the first house? since that it is sufficiently manifest of the greatness of the sins which the Kings of Juda did, and yet for them the time of banishment was not prolonged but two and fifty years; but in the second house they did not worship Idols, and nevertheless the captivity endures wonderful long.  Jew. 
I answer you to this doubt, thus: The sins which they committed in the time of the first house were very grievous, that even then it was decreed, that the second Temple should not stand but seventy whole weeks, and then again they should suffer punishment, and should bear the iniquity of their fathers, to the end of the redemption, as it is explained in the end of Daniel, which present captivity in which we now are, is for the sins which the Israelites committed before the Babylonish captivity.  Christian. 
This your answer is vain, for the son shall not bear the iniquity of his father, if he be not a follower of his father's wickedness; but I will hear what Daniel saith concerning that captivity.  Jew. 
Behold, he speaks after this manner, 
Dan. 12. 12.  Blessed is he that waits, and comes to a thousand, three hundred, and thirty five days, but a year is as a long day. And again, a day is a little year. Likewise there is a certain place found in the earth, where almost a whole year is but one day: For example, there is a place where the day takes up six months, and the night challengeth to itself the remnant of time; there I say a year consists of one day. So Daniel called days years, because he would have his words shut up and sealed. 
Dan. 12.4   Christian. 
And when shall the mentioned number 1335 be accomplished?  Jew. 
Some say that number is extended to the year of the world 6118 (which is the 2367 year of Christ) For first, they counted 1290 days to that time, when they laid down the abomination of desolation after the destruction of the temple, according to the words of Daniel; 
Dan. 9.27  and afterwards they began to number 1335 days: But they who went before us, did not receive this supputation, but every man laboured to find out some account which might agree with their days. And after this manner thou shalt find with our rabbis of good memory, many & divers bounds, which are all past, for they were careful to find out some near bound, lest the common people should despair, because redemption was suspended.  Christian. 
And so your rabbis do always seduce you, saying, behold, at this time the Messiah shall come, and when that that is past, again they say, at that time he shall come: How will ye believe these lying words? Consider, you have no hope, and salvation is deferred from you, and God is departed from you, and you have no consolation, not a prophet nor vision; therefore be converted, & acknowledge your Saviour and our Saviour, our Lord Christ.  Jew. 
Neither have we had from the beginning of the second Temple, a Prophet or vision, but in those days when the Messiah shall begin to grow, than prophecies and visions shall be multiplied. But at this time all vision and prophecy is sealed; for the end of the vision of the Prophets, hath respect wholly to the growing of the Messiah kingdom. When he shall come, we shall have great consolations, so that all the days of our captivity, shall be counted as a little moment, as it is written, 
Isa. 54. 7.  I have left thee a little moment, and in great mercies I will gather thee.  Christian. 
Vision and prophecy is shut up from your eyes, but not from our eyes, for we are all taught of God, and the mysteries of the kingdom of God are revealed to us, 
Isa. 54. 13  and if you also will believe in our Lord Christ, you may enter into the kingdom of God.  Jew. 
We cannot believe in your Christ, because he was a Magician, and all his miracles were wrought by the magic Art, and therefore he was judged to death, as the Lord God taught us, and because he broke the Sabbath, and said he was a God, therefore the Jews slew him.  Christian. 
Hold your peace knave, and do not so reproach our Saviour; but if you will at another time, I will come to you, that we may speak more of this matter. Who knows, peradventure thou wilt acknowledge the truth, and receive our gospel.  Jew. 
I am content, that according to your pleasure you come to me; but speak nothing to me of your bad tidings.  Christian. 
Take heed to yourself, that you say not bad tidings, but good tidings, for it is a manifestation of the goodness of God, which came to us by Christ the Redeemer of the world. But why do you so refuse to hear the gospel, and why do you shun the light, and will set in darkness? Is it not written concerning the light of the gospel; 
Isa 9 2.  the people which did walk in darkness saw a great light, and to them which dwell in the shadow of death, light hath shined?  Jew. 
This is the reason why I will not hear, because Jesus your Messiah was an evil man, and his speeches were feigned, and the glorious God saw that he would seduce the world, and would set himself forth for God, and for that God hath said that men should die, but Jesus ought to be hanged upon the cross, that so all that should come into the world, might see that he was not God. Moreover, none of the Prophets hath prophesied from that time, wherein Christ being crucified, was hanged up, none of Israel, neither any of the Nations, because a lying spirit did so much prevail in the world, that there was no place for the spirit of prophecy. But also we suffer all these tribulations, and this very long captivity, because that wicked man was borne of us, and in our land, who made himself God, and seduced the whole world.  Christian. 
All those evils which you Jews suffer, came not upon you because of our Christ, because he said that he was God, and the son of God, but rather for this, because your fathers slew him and crucified him, a holy man and just, the Saviour of the world, who did no evil, neither was deceit found in his mouth. Behold, this holy man your fathers slew, and numbered him with the wicked, and ye all allow this fact to this very day, and therefore ye shall never find grace in the eyes of God, unless ye return from that evil way, and acknowledge our Lord Jesus Christ, whom ye in contempt, do call Jeschim. unless you believe in him, you shall all perish, and shall go down to hell. Behold, I have foretold it, you shall not find other salvation in heaven and in earth, and for this cause seek the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is near. Forsake your unbelieving heart, and return to the Lord, and he will have mercy on you, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon you. Be not like your fathers, who hardened their faces more than a rock, and would not return to the Lord, but dealt wickedly against the Lord, the God of their fathers, who delivered them to be spoiled, as you see it at this day: I beseech you harden not your necks as you have done hitherto, but give your hands to the Lord, and acknowledge that Christ is sent for the salvation of all men, who shall believe in him, the Lord our God is gracious and merciful, who will not turn away his face from you, if ye return to him.  Jew. 
You shall never persuade me to receive your faith, and believe in your Christ, for that which you believe, no reason can comprehend, neither any man understand. For how shall I believe, that the Creator of heaven and earth, and all things that are in them, shut himself up in the womb of a Jewish Virgin, grew nine months, and was borne a child, and afterward increased in stature, and was delivered into the hands of his enemies, who condemned him with the judgement of death, slew him on the cross, and ye afterward say and believe, that he lived again, and returned to his former state? neither the mind of a Jew, neither can any man comprehend this, therefore you spend your words in vain, seeing that these things have no likelihood of truth.  Christian. 
Knowest thou not, that nothing is unpossible to God? verily all those things which you have now mentioned, are in the Prophets, but wrapped in the covering of words; for thus saith the Prophet Isaias, 
Isa. 7. 14.  Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. And in another place he saith, 
Isa. 53. 5.  he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities, the chastisement of our peace was upon him, and with his stripes we are healed, &c. do you see how wonderful things the Prophet hath spoke concerning the Messiah, and all these things are fulfilled in our Christ? Again hear what the same Prophet saith, 
Isa. 4.2.  In that day the branch of the Lord shall be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the earth shall be excellent and comely for them that are escaped of Israel. Where Jonathan hath interpreted in Chaldee, after this manner. In that time the Messiah of the Lord shall be for joy and honour. Behold, the Messiah is called the branch of the Lord, that is, the son of God, as also in Jeremiah he is called the branch of David, for he saith thus, 
Ier. 33.15  In those days, and at that time, will I cause the branch of righteousness to grow up unto David: Where Jonathan the Chaldee interpreter, saith thus. In those days, and at that time, will I raise up to David a Messiah of righteousness. You see now, that the Creator could suffer afflictions, not in the divine nature, but in the humanity which he assumed in the unity of the person.  Jew. 
These are wonderful things, and what I pray you hath that your Jesus done, or what need was there that he should be born of a woman? why did he sustain all those passions and afflictions, which our fathers brought upon him?  Christian. 
Was it not said already, that he was wounded for our transgressions? All we like sheep have gone astray, we have turned every one to his own way, and the Lord hath made the iniquities of us all to meet in him.  Jew. 
Some of our teachers have said, the Messiah hath no other passions, 
Isa. 6.9.  but a certain internal grief and trouble, whereby he is internally afflicted that his coming is so long deferred, and in the mean while sees his people in captivity, and he cannot help them, and deliver them; but he shall never be delivered into the hand of his enemies, as ye affirm.  Christian. 
Your rabbis have been estranged from the womb, they have gone astray as soon as they were borne, speaking lies, stopping their ears like the deaf adder, that they might not hear the truth; they have ceased to hear rightly and wisely, and therefore God hath cast them off, and hath blinded their eyes, as it is written, go and tell this people, hear ye indeed, but understand not, and see ye indeed, but perceive not. Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes: lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert and be healed. lo, it hath come to pass to you Jews, according to this prophecy; for your fathers saw the wonderful works which our Christ did, and would not understand: They heard his doctrine, and could not reprove him, and yet they stopped their ears, likewise ye to this very day do confirm and approve their works, and therefore in vain do ye expect another Messiah.  Jew. 
If your Christ is God and the true Messiah, why did he conceal himself in the flesh? and why did he not come openly, by renewing his law, and giving it publicly? for so the men of his age had not erred, neither should they stumble who come into this world after him; he should have done his works in public, that all might believe on him, especially that great multitude which he destroyed, and deprived of redemption by his concealing himself; for because of that concealing, they were separated from him, and believed not in him.  
Thou knowest not what thou sayest; hath he not shown in words and deeds, such miracles, as no other did, that he was the Messiah and redeemer of the world, and yet your fathers said, that by Beelzebub, and by the power of devils, that is, by magic art, he did all those things, lying against their own lives? Lo, God hath sent his own son, his only son into the most pure womb of a virgin, as Isaias did foretell, and he was made man within her, and born of her, without her pangs and grief, and that by a miracle, far otherwise than other women bring forth, and that was not impossible, forasmuch as all things which do far exceed the power of man, are possible to GOD, and by his power, a body might be created within a body, and be quickened by the spirit. Also he could and he would send his glorious word within a pure virgin, that he might be incarnated within her, and be born of her, without any grief or pain, and as he entered into her, so he went out of her; and she remained a virgin before and after the birth. But that child, who also is the glorious God, did walk upon the earth thirty three years that he might save man, for he was sent to the sons of Israel to redeem them, but because they were a people of a stiff neck, and would not receive him, neither observe all the signs, such as no man ever did; the Gentiles come and received him with love, and the blessed God chose them for his peculiar people in stead of Israel, and they were made the sons of Abraham for their faith, because Abraham is the father of the faithful, and believers in God are the sons of Abraham. He therefore was that Messiah, of whom the Prophets did prophecy, and he walked thirty years before he became known to these who were in the world. But presently after that time, he manifested himself to the Israelites, that he was the Christ of the LORD, and wrought signs and miracles, such as none of the Prophets ever did, showing to the whole world, that he came to redeem man for sin, as it is written, He was wounded for our transgressions; and he made a new covenant with us, according to that which is said in Jeremy, Behold, the days come saith the Lord, 
Ier. 31.31  and I will make with Israel and with Judah a new covenant, not according to the covenant which I made with their fathers, for I will put my Law in their inward parts, &c. therefore it is manifest from these sayings, that the Lord would make with the Israelites a new covenant, and not according to that covenant which he made with Abraham, when he made a covenant with him that every male child should be circumcised; 
Ge. 17.12  but this covenant was another covenant, namely, baptism, in which by the power of Christ's sufferings, all man's sin is remitted, and that sign or Sacrament is common to male and female. Moreover, he gave them a new law after that the Law of Moses was fulfilled; for the Law was given to Moses only for a time, as you have it written in the Thalmud, in the Treatise of Idolatry, where it is said, that the law was given but for 2000 years; for the Fathers of good memory say thus; That the world must endure 6000 years, that it should be 2000 years void and without form, that after two thousand years, the Mosaical Law should be given; that it should stand 2000 years under the Law, and 2000 years under the Messiah, than it should return to its own rudeness. But now the 2000 years of the Law, and besides many above a thousand are past, and your Messiah is not yet come, as ye Jews say. There is also another sign, that the Law of Moses was given for a time, because the Prophet saith, remember the law of Moses my servant, 
Mal. 4. 4.  he doth not say, do the law of Moses, as if he should say: In the time of the Messiah remember the law of Moses, because then all things which are written in the law of Moses concerning the Messiah, shall be fulfilled: for the offerings and sacrifices of oxen and sheep, did foreshow the sacrifice of the Messiah, when he was led forth for a sacrifice, and as a sheep which before the shearers is dumb, so opened he not his mouth, but with his blood he hath washed us from our sins, and hath cleansed away our iniquities. Now therefore O Jews, I turn myself to you. Behold, ye pray morning and evening in all your prayers, that the Messiah and the Redeemer may be sent to you, and ye stand in the feast of propitiation from the evening to the morning, crying and praying with your whole heart, and your whole strength to the Lord, that he would hear you, and send you the Messiah, but there is no change of your state, there is none who understands your prayers, or who opens the gates of heaven, and takes you out of this life, and much less, who sends your Messiah; yea, to speak somewhat more, nothing is seen, nothing is heard, there is no voice or vision which may tell you the coming of the Messiah. And behold, the property of the blessed God is, to hear the prayers of the just, 
Pro. 15.8, 29.  and it is impossible according to your assertion, who say your faith is true, that there hath not been some just in all these generations which have been from the days of the desolation of the Temple to this present, that the blessed God hath not heard their prayer, and hath sent them the Messiah for their merits, or that some sign hath not been revealed to them, or vision showed, or voice heard, whence they might have a sign of his coming. Furthermore, for what cause do you think the Messiah doth so long defer his coming, that he doth not redeem you? How can he in this so long time, see your tribulations which ye suffer in this banishment, and doth not deliver you out of your tribulations, neither executes judgement against your enemies? why doth he suffer you so to wander through the deserts, as sheep without a pastor, and have not any certain dwelling? why hath he cast you from him now so many years, and doth not remember you with God? Truly when formerly he chastised your fathers for their sin, presently after they confessed, and prayed, and humbled themselves before him in their captivity, presently I say he delivered them, although they had even committed Idolatry, and offended against the law of Moses, had polluted the sabbath and solemnities, had broke the covenant of Abraham; yet I say, notwithstanding these, when they repented, and did confess their sins, forthwith he heard their prayers, he repented of the evil inflicted upon them, he delivered them, and every day sent them the Prophets to comfort them in their banishment, yea, when before they were certified of the end of their captivity, 
Ier. 29. 1●  to wit, that they should be in captivity but seventy years, but the present captivity is now prolonged beyond a thousand and five hundred years, and it is certain, that in the second house they did not worship Idols, neither committed they so much as one of those transgressions, which they committed in the first house; but neither in this captivity, is any man found who worships Idols, as they did in former days, and nevertheless not any consolation, or the voice of any oracle doth appear, or is made known. What therefore is that your sin, for which this captivity after the second house, continues so long beyond the captivity of the first house, except that ye would not receive and hear the Messiah the Saviour, when he came to your land, but did persecute him even to death; yea, when your fathers saw his miracles and terrible works, such as no man ever did, yet they would not believe on him, and therefore neither for them, neither for you, shall ever any propitiation ever be made, but being cast forth ye shall lie in the dark, and shadow of death, ye shall perish for ever, unless ye be converted and confess him. Measure for Measure.  Jew. 
This captivity shall endure to the end of redemption, to purge away the sin of our fathers, as it is declared in the end of Daniel, 
Dan. ●2. ●2  blessed is he that waits, and shall come to one hundred thirty five days. By days, understand years, as if he should say, for the sins which they committed in the first house, before the captivity of Babel, the mentioned time must be expected, &c.  Christian. 
I have said even now, that it is a great error among you, to think the son doth bear the iniquity of his father, although he hath not committed his Sin, seeing the Scripture saith plainly, 
Ier. 31.29, 30.  the sons shall not die for the fathers, &c. And again it is written, 
Exo. 20. 5  Visiting the iniquity of the fathers, unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me. Where he means, that God doth not visit iniquity but unto the fourth generation; and how many thousand generations do you think are past to this present time? Behold now from the time of the destruction of the Temple and City, not only a thousand three hundred and thirty five years, but many more are past, and your fathers expected the Messiah about the end of those years, for so they interpreted the mentioned place of Daniel, and nevertheless your Messiah is not yet come, neither hath removed from you the punishments of this very long captivity.  Jew. 
This captivity is prolonged for the transgression which the Israelites did in the second house, making themselves gods; as Jesus, the Apostles, and other Saints did, who all were Jews, and did perversely interpret the sayings of the Prophets concerning Jesus, and made him as it were a perpetual Idol, for this the Israelites are almost perpetuated in this so long captivity.  Christian. 
Doubtless no man is ignorant how very grievously the Kings of Judea and Israel sinned in the first house, who ordained Priests for the worship of Idols, and clean destroyed the true worship of God, and nevertheless they were in captivity but seventy years. 
Ier. 29.15  But in the modern captivity, they who have acknowledged Christ, and have called him the son of God, have not denied God, but they saw the works of God in Christ, and said, this is the son of God: But if they had erred in this, yet for this they had not denied God: which seeing it is thus, why is this your captivity so wonderderfully prolonged? therefore it appears, that your reason is erroneous and in effectual; and truly it is the property of God, that his goodness doth exceed his severity, which seeing you cannot deny, why did not the Messiah come in that time, which is so often touched in the book of Daniel, 
Dan. 12.12  according to the supputations of all your wise men? verily he ought not, neither could defer his coming so many hundred years, beyond the bound appointed by himself. And if you will say that he will come in the generation of the just, and then will not be absent one moment; I answer, that all is erroneous, forsomuch as there hath never been a generation, in which all men have worshipped one God, except the generation of our time; and nevertheless he still defers his coming. But now I must depart from you, but I will return again to you, and speak more with you of this matter.  Jew. 
Go in peace, and see that you return to me again, for I also have yet many things which I would discourse with you concerning your Christ, and concerning your bad tidings.  Christian. 
You speak like a desperate and perverse Jew.  
FINIS.